Opportunities and Benefits of Membership

Rebecca PoppleNovember 2013

Children's Food Trust

• National charity protecting children’s right to eat better and so, to do better

• Provider of training, resources and support to early years settings, schools and many others who offer food for children

• Runs the Let’s Get Cooking programme, a national children’s food excellence Award scheme and an online Learning Network

• Research hub for children’s food issues

• Building our portfolio of corporate partners and funders www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/partners

• Initially funded by the Big Lottery £20m• 5000 national cookery clubs - Launched in 2008• Evaluation results: 58% of club members eat a healthier diet 90% cook again at home Skills shared with at least one other person Reached more than 2.9 million people

• Further funding and projects: Peoples Health Trust – employed males aged 20-40, 14-19 year olds, Dads and

Lads, mental health groups, looked after children, older people Eat Better Start Better – part funded by DfE into 20 LAs nationwide Universities Football clubs Commercial companies – Cook Well Work Well

• Fun practical healthy cooking workshops, delivered in the workplace.

• Transferring knowledge into action - develops skills needed to prepare and cook healthy food.

• Encouragement and support to plan small changes which lead to big improvements in health, wellbeing and productivity at work.

• Focus on eating well for work.

Cook Well, Work Well Course

In action…

Benefits of Platform Membership

• P - Partnerships • L - Learning • A - Actions• T - Timescales • F - Focus• O - Opportunities• R - Recognition• M - Membership

“P”• Partnerships• Pilots• Promotion

“L”

• Learning• Fascinating presentations• Training

“A”

• Active Commitment • Action focussed• Audience

“T”

• Timescales• Teambuilding events

“F”

Focus action on improving health at work or in a community

“O”

• Opportunities to network with other members from across all sectors on a regular basis

“R”

• Recognition for efforts

“M”

• Membership• Mentoring• Measures

Thank you

Evaluation Results

• Overall the average ‘healthy’ score of ‘healthy’ items increased from 13 to 18. This was accompanied by a decrease over the same time in the ‘unhealthy’ score from 9 to 5.

• Seven of the eight participants had a greater positive difference in favour of an improved diet.

• A well validated, but simple, measure of mental well-being provided evidence that after taking part in the Cook Well, Work Well programme participants’ scores had significantly increased suggesting that learning new skills and eating more healthily was associated with an improvement in their self-esteem or self confidence.

What did the delegates think?

• “It has helped me massively and I am on the way (lost ¾ stone!) ... I will continue to promote Let’s Get Cooking at every opportunity.”

Staff member, British Gas

• “I now have a better awareness of portion sizes and food values on processed foods. I feel I have more energy and have joined an exercise class. My concentration is much better.”

Staff member, Derby City Hospital

• “Being part of the Cook Well, Work Well programme provided a great opportunity for Derby Hospitals... for staff to get involved in an educational programme that was both fun and interactive.”

Health Promotion Coordinator, Derby Hospitals

Further Information and

Case Study“I didn’t realise I would be able to lose weight by

learning to cook. I’ve learnt new skills, more about food and taking part has made life a lot better for

me.” Simon Hunnybel, PepsiCo driver

www.letsgetcooking.org.uk