An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!
EDWINA HUGHES
On a recent visit to the Conquest Hospital I was greeted with a bright and colourful display of fresh fruit. I had stumbled upon Five a Day greengrocers who operate out of the Conquest every Tuesday and Wednesday 8am-6pm selling fresh produce to patients, guests and staff. The Five a Day greengrocer runs in partnership with the NHS and the delicious produce you see in the Conquest is supplied by Sussex Fruits located in West St Leonards.
Incredibly, despite the well-established link between good diet and health, fresh fruit and veg is rarely visible in these places of recovery. But Five a Day greengrocers is bucking that trend. So where did the idea come from and who is behind it? Set up by David and Shelley in 2017, these fresh fruit and veg stalls are popping up in southern England hospitals from Queen Mary’s in Sidcup up to Barts Trust in Bedford to Salisbury Hospital in the west – in fact they’re now operating in 35 hospitals.
David Chamberlain’s family has been buying and selling fruit and veg for 100 years. He inherited his business from his uncle. When David’s nan was in end of life care at hospital he and family members spent a lot of time with her, and they found themselves eating lots of junk food – there wasn’t a lot of choice at the hospital. That’s when David decided to try to adapt the business to sell fresh fruit and veg in hospitals and Five a Day greengrocers was born.
It’s likely that at some stage we will all need to spend time at hospital – either for treatment, to visit a loved one or maybe even for work. When we visit hospitals, we may be feeling stressed, sad, in pain or distressed – in such scenarios it can lift the spirit to see something vividly colourful and engaging like this array of fresh fruit and veg. I spoke to a customer and employee at the Conquest who agreed “it’s a great incentive to eat more healthily”, saying she’s pleased they have her favourite there – Pink Lady apples.
We know that food is hugely evocative and can symbolise some of the most important moments of our lives – dinner with our family or friends, delicious meals with loved ones.
David agrees, and tells me people love to buy the exotic fruits and poignantly mentions visitors requesting fresh strawberries or cherry tomatoes for a loved one who is dying. It makes sense that at the end of our lives we may want to revisit some of those memories through scent, taste, texture and flavour.
It seems to be that Five a Day greengrocers are doing a lot more than just selling fruit and veg in hospitals.
Instagram fiveaday.greengrocer Website fiveadaygreengrocers.com
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