Residents interested in rolling up their sleeves for healthy produce have been invited to sign up to the next series of the Grow, Eat, $ave programme.

The nine-week course, facilitated by Kevin Santucci, teaches participants practical skills to grow their own food, make better food choices and save money on groceries.

The next series is to run from September 24 to November 19, with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs offering additional garden spaces for the cohort.

The course includes six joint educational gardening classes and three practical hands-on sessions, offering beginner-friendly experience in soil preparation, seed planting, composting, natural pest remedies and other home gardening techniques.

Alexa Lightbourne, the home affairs minister, said: “Food security begins with empowering our people.

“When we give residents the knowledge and practical tools to grow even a portion of the food they consume, we strengthen household resilience, build community capacity and help families take greater control of their food costs.

“We know that the cost of groceries remains a real concern for families across Bermuda and while there is no single solution to that challenge, Grow, Eat, $ave is one practical way we can equip people to be part of the solution.”

Jason Hayward, the Acting Minister of Health, said the programme was intended to help make healthy living practical and accessible.

He said: “Growing your own food encourages people to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets, develop a greater understanding of nutrition and build healthy habits that can support long-term wellbeing.

“By giving residents the knowledge and confidence to grow and prepare fresh food at home, this programme promotes healthier choices and reflects our vision of healthy people in healthy communities.”

Spaces in the programme are limited, anyone interested in participating was urged to sign up online.