Health and wellbeing
Healthy eating project supports confidence and wellbeing in Walsall communities
Published on
A Walsall service that supports adults with additional learning needs has expanded its work to support healthier communities through a series of actions and pledges.
The Motivation Hub, based at Manor Farm Community Association, is delivering activities to improve access to healthy food, build skills, and strengthen community connections. The organisation provides day care services for people with additional learning needs from across the borough.
They have pledged to offer healthy eating sessions to the wider community, work with other groups to support a stronger local food environment, grow fresh produce on-site for distribution through community shops, and produce and perform a creative show focused on the benefits of healthy eating.
The Motivation Hub has benefited from the Feeding our Futures programme, commissioned by Walsall Council Public Health. The programme aligns with Walsall’s Food Plan, which sets out a borough-wide ambition to improve access to affordable, healthy food and support healthier communities. This has enabled the organisation to run regular healthy eating sessions for vulnerable adults, using fresh ingredients sourced locally where possible. These sessions go beyond cooking, helping participants build essential life skills such as budgeting, shopping, meal preparation and understanding nutrition.
As well as learning practical skills, those taking part are gaining confidence, developing communication skills and building stronger connections within their community. The activities are designed to support independence while encouraging healthier choices in a supportive, inclusive environment.
Recently, participants from The Motivation Hub have visited local schools and care homes to perform a short, light-hearted interactive show focused on the benefits of healthy eating, inspired by wider conversations across the borough about improving access to food. It is hoped the performances will encourage people to consider what they eat daily and how small changes can make a difference to health and wellbeing.
The project is also creating wider opportunities for participants to engage with their community, including sharing positive messages about healthy eating and exploring ways to increase access to affordable, healthy food locally.
“ Local organisations like The Motivation Hub are helping people build confidence while developing the skills to eat well and live healthier lives. This project shows the real difference community-led work can make, bringing people together, improving wellbeing and helping residents access affordable, healthy food. It also contributes to creating a stronger, healthier local food environment in the borough. “
In partnership with Food for Life Walsall, the group is now working towards growing their own produce to donate to community shops as part of their commitment to supporting local people, providing hands-on experience, new skills, teamwork, responsibility and a real sense of purpose.
It is also planning to work in partnership with FareShare to explore purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables, with the aspiration to set up a market stall where produce can be sold at low cost on a not-for-profit basis.
“ Feeding our Futures has done far more than support healthy eating — it has inspired confidence, created opportunities, strengthened community connections and given our users the chance to shine in ways that are truly life-changing. The future for The Motivation Hub feels brighter than ever, and we are so excited about what comes next. “
This project forms part of ongoing partnership work across the borough to improve access to healthy food and support residents to make healthier choices, in line with the priorities set out in Walsall’s Food Plan.
