Alumnus to motorcycle from London to Cape Town to raise awareness of fresh produce

Posted 8 November 2016

Today marks the start of The Great Fruit Adventure which sees a Harper Adams University alumnus motorcycling from London to Cape Town, South Africa.

The aim of 48-year-old Max McGillivray’s trip is to raise awareness on the importance of fresh produce and where it comes from.

The HND Agriculture (1988-1991) alumnus from Beyton, near Bury, said: “Fellow adventurer Gareth Jones and I will motorbike from London all the way to Cape Town, visiting a huge range of fruit and veg growers along the way. 

“We plan to chronicle our story, and more importantly the story of the growers, to help raise awareness of how fruit and veg gets from where it is grown to British shop shelves. 

“Unbelievably, six out of 10 UK children have no idea where the fruit and veg they eat comes from. 

“Fresh produce is so great in comparison to sugary drinks, energy drinks, packets of crisps. It’s the cure for childhood obesity and even adult obesity. 

“We’re trying to create something exciting by travelling on motorbikes from London to Cape Town, visiting upwards of 30 to 40 different fresh produce growers. 

“We’re going to film all the growers and the great products they’re growing. We’ll then send all the film back to the UK so we can educate kids about fresh produce, about Africa and about adventure. 

“We hope the children get excited about seeing where an apple comes from; seeing where mangetout comes from; seeing where baby sweetcorn comes from. We want them to eat fresh produce and get excited about it, rather than eating things which are unhealthy and aren’t good for them in the long-term.

“Fresh produce is my lifelong passion and I’ve put my heart and soul into the industry, so I was dismayed to read that the bulk of British children had no idea where the fruit and veg they eat comes from.

“Gareth and I are very excited about the trip and even more so when we come back and see as many schools as possible to inform them all about fresh produce in a great and enlightening manner!"

The duo are raising money for three charities: Tusk, a wildlife charity for Africa, Marshal Papworth, which educate students from Africa on modern farming and Fairtrade. Click here to donate.

Follow the team’s adventures on Facebook and Twitter.