A PIONEERING new education project to teach young people about food and healthy lifestyles has launched in the North York Moors National Park.

An outdoor education centre in Cropton, near Pickering, will teach young people and their leaders about healthy diets and lifestyles and where food comes from.

The Peat Rigg Outdoor Training Centre runs sessions for students to get involved with food growing and looking after livestock, as well as learning how to prepare healthy meals for themselves.

Centre director Ian Thorpe said: “This is an exciting and innovative project, which will make a big difference to the lives of many young people by giving them a unique opportunity to improve their health and wellbeing.”

In October, when the Duke of Gloucester officially opened a new sustainable eco-friendly 35-bed accommodation bloc, he also launched the food courses, which began with the help of a £411,000 grant from the Big Lottery Local Food Project.

Mark Wheddon, local food programme manager, said: “Projects like this have a wide and lasting impact on the community and we are delighted to support them. Our scheme is about promoting the benefits of locally-grown food, and this project demonstrates how these can stretch beyond just healthy eating to giving young the opportunity to get involved with growing their own food and learning about where it comes from as well as getting active.”