A PROJECT which was rolled out nationally following a trial in Forth Valley has been hailed a success by schools.

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) recently launched the Reindeer Dust School Project in a bid to get children eating healthier.

After months of work, the initiative has been a described as a huge success with schools across the country.

Schools in Fife, Forth Valley, Dumbarton, Lomond and Renfrew were given free kits and training sessions to make "reindeer dust" – a combination of porridge oats, timothy chaff and other secret ingredients provided by their local Tesco.

Each packet of reindeer dust is then packed into bags provided by Booker Cash & Carry.

More than 65 classes and 2,000 children signed up to participate in only a few days of the project's launch. By the end of November, 170 classes and 5,800 pupils in total participated.

Katie Brisbane, RHET project coordinator in Forth Valley and the person behind the initial launch of the project, was blown away by the interest show in the project.

She said: "Making reindeer dust with kids is a magical way to encourage interest in farming, food production and environmental issues.

"Thanks to the sponsorship from Hamlyns Oats, pupils will also be introduced to an affordable, nutritious breakfast that's easy to make.

"I really hope to be able to offer kits to all nurseries and primary schools in Forth Valley next year."

The project's aim was to teach pupils how farmers grow food; how local produce is better for people and the planet; and how eating the right food can make the pupils strong and healthy.

Sessions were delivered in the classroom and provided an opportunity for pupils to try some healthy food, teach them how to make environmentally conscious choices around food and will be an overall fun and interactive lesson.

For younger nursery students, there will be a magic Christmas-themed activity provided to give them similar lessons.

Overall, feedback from the teachers was positive, such as being "a fun and informative session", with another teacher saying the lessons were "valuable".