Together TV launches the Green Challenge: Growing & cooking together to help the planet
Grow your own
Get creative in the kitchen
Come Together to make a change
Together TV is set to launch the Green Challenge to get people together to make healthy food and to help the planet. The aim is to connect neighbours, family, the Together TV community, and local charity projects. In addition to giving participants the confidence to start being able to grow and use their own produce while coming together to make a change.
The Green Challenge registrations is now open - 100,000 basil seed kits are set to be sent to out throughout the UK to community groups and individuals in October. Celebrity chef Rustie Lee will guide the participants through the weeks with exclusive videos and special tips. Other well-known TV celebrities have endorsed the campaign, including Nadiya Hussain and Danny Clarke.
There are three ways to register -
- Visit www.TogetherTV.com/GreenChallenge and fill out the online form
- By SMS: Text “Together” to 80800 for free followed by your full name
- Sending your full name, post address and phone number via letter to -
Together TV's Green Challenge
24 Neal Street
London WC2H 9QW
Throughout the eight-week challenge, budding growers and cooks will be sent videos, tips, and guides with the aim to steer them through their basil growing journey. The challenge will include participants being walked through delicious recipes, using the basil they are lovingly growing.
This community-building initiative follows the success of the initiative launched in Summer within the Sunflower Challenge. The challenge encouraged individuals and regional community groups to grow sunflowers along with Together TV through a step-by-step 12-week cycle. Each week all participants were sent customised content from the campaign ambassador TV Gardener Danny Clarke and Field Studies Council have been advising throughout on how best to encourage healthy growth from their sunflowers.
50,000 people took part in the Sunflower Challenge this Summer, with over 130 UK wide community groups, with 400k sunflower seeds being sent out in total. Thousands of people sent us pictures and shared how the challenge improved their wellbeing and brought them closer together with their families and friends. Feedback from the newly formed Together for Good community showed the initiative brought neighbours and families closer together. The success of the community growth has more than met the aims to tackle social isolation by connecting people to their communities.
Celebrity Chef and face of the Green Challenge, Rustie Lee, explains:
"I’m delighted to be the ambassador for the Together TV Green Challenge. I am such an advocate for being mindful of the food we’re eating, which made joining this initiative the more exciting for me. Working with food my whole life has given me the expertise to be able to know the best ingredients to use to make a dish go from edible to delicious – and my number one tip is the fresher the better.
"Going through the basil growing process with the Together TV community is going to be wonderful. Knowing that together we can gain the confidence to be able to grow your own produce fills me with joy. Then the exciting part - cooking and getting creative in the kitchen with a key ingredient they have grown themselves. I cannot wait to share the delicious recipes we’ve been working on that will include fresh basil. All this whilst being able to use food to come together and make a change: by connecting with our neighbours, our friends and community we can all take the first steps to a more sustainable lifestyle. So uplifting!"
Cook, Presenter and Author, Nadiya Hussain, said:
"There is so much joy you can get from cooking, it's good for the soul. The power it has to bring your family, friends, neighbours and community together to connect and share the delicious food you've made is the best. It's so lovely that Together TV's Green Challenge will encourage people to experience cooking that way. It's good for their mental health, for the planet and for learning some new skills in the kitchen. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone get involved!"
TV Gardener, Danny Clarke, explains:
"It’s great that Together TV is continuing their Together for Good campaign by launching the Green Challenge. Being an ambassador for the Sunflower Challenge was an absolute pleasure. Gardening is my passion and working on an initiative to encourage others to get into this is fantastic. Nurturing the growth journey of any plant from seed to harvesting is an incredible thing to watch and is even better when discussed within a community.
Together TV’s Green Challenge will elevate the community they’ve built by adding budding chefs to the mix. Being able to grow your own vegetables and herbs is not only a great way to live more sustainably but being able to eat what you’ve grown is a huge achievement.”
Alexander Kann, Chief Executive of Together TV, explains:
"We can all do our bit to help the planet. It doesn’t need to feel overwhelming – there are lots of things we can all do to cook more sustainably, recycle, and save energy. That’s the simple idea behind our Green Challenge. As part of this we’re sending out a hundred thousand free basil seed kits to people across the UK. Through this we will share some ideas of the ways you can grow basil (it only takes 3-4 weeks!) then cook tasty and nature-friendly meals at home.”
Environmental expert, Together TV Trustee and Eco Business Director for Field Studies Council, Philip Turvil says:
“Anyone can grow young basil plants for a delicious garnish and cooking ingredient. I love how basil seedlings poke their head above the soil to grow their first leaves. It’s really exciting as they’re so full of promise. You don’t need specialist equipment either. Rather, you just need enthusiasm and a little compost, plus the seeds and encouragement from Together TV’s team.”
Charity partners for the Green Challenge, Food Cycle, said:
“We’re really pleased to be teaming up with Together TV on this initiative. We love using fresh and nutritious ingredients at the FoodCycle meals and this is a great way to inspire people to get growing at home and experiment with new ingredients. We’re looking forward to seeing what lovely Basil recipes people come up with.”
The following statistics highlight the benefits of gardening and growing your own produce -
- Only 38% of British adults say they use their garden or outdoor space (e.g. balcony/window box) to grow their own herbs, fruit and vegetables - YouGov for HTA (2020) *
- 87% of British adults believe gardens and green spaces benefit their state of mind - YouGov for HTA (2020) *
- 84% of British adults believe gardens and green spaces benefit their physical health - YouGov for HTA (2020) *
- 94% of British adults believe gardens and green spaces benefit the environment - YouGov for HTA (2020) *
- The average UK garden is 14m2 - Ipsos Mori for HTA (2018) *
Together TV broadcasts on Freeview 82, Sky 170, Virgin 269 and Freesat 164 and delivers its change-making campaigns through its engagement platform, website, fulfilment partner and social media channels.
ENDS
For further information and assets, please contact:
Julia Newbound, PR Manager, Together TV
07780 449 896
Notes to Editors
About Together TV
Together TV is the UK’s broadcaster inspiring positive change. We run a national TV channel and engagement platform, which motivate people to do good in their lives and communities.
We programme entertainment shows that focus on wellbeing and creativity, whilst championing diverse voices. In doing so, we open our audience’s eyes to the opportunities around them and motivate them to take part.
As a result of watching, our viewers change attitudes, improve their wellbeing, gain confidence, do more for themselves and connect with their community.
Together TV broadcasts on Freeview 82, Sky 170, Virgin 269 and Freesat 164, and delivers its change-making campaigns through its engagement platform, website, fulfilment partner and social media channels.
Together TV is owned by over two hundred individual shareholders with a wider group of funders and donors alongside the media and digital industry.
The Community Benefit Society and its board include representatives from the broadcasters and charity sector alongside its elected Members.
The Community Channel operating as Together TV is a charitable Community Benefit Society registered with the FCA (RS007400).
*REFERENCES
YouGov for HTA (2020), Ipsos Mori for HTA (2018), - https://hta.org.uk/industry-data/garden-statistics.html
