Our local food education and production programme in the Borough has engaged with nearly 300 families to cook nutritious food, and key partners to improve access to low-cost food.
Activities have been engaging local communities and their families to explore food creatively and keeping nutrition budget friendly, healthy and fun! ‘Grow your own’ projects have been supported as well as set up a local food partnership to improve flow between food banks, and community pantries and fridges.
Recently, the team has been to Velmore Community Centre to work with elderly residents to explore their food memories, resulting in a live healthy cooking session and a book by a life story writer.
The legacy of the programme includes the training of targeted staff and volunteers from local community organisations, inc. young carers, support workers etc. to continue the family sessions into the future.
Partners who have helped these projects come alive include community centres, local organisations, Munch the food specialists, and local schools.
The programme has been supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to tackle the cost of living, social isolation and nutritional health of local families.
Cabinet lead for Social Policy, Cllr Paul Bicknell said, “We thank the amazing partners who continue to support so many families to learn more about healthy eating in a fun and practical way. We hope these projects will have a long and far-reaching impact as the infrastructure is in place to continue to improve the nutritional lives of residents. These projects really do make a difference by empowering people to eat more healthily while reducing their outgoings on food, crucial at this time with the price of food continually rising.”