Children's services
Cooking up a storm: Walsall children learn cooking skills and healthy eating during Holiday Activity and Food programme
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Cooking skills and healthy eating were at the centre of a project delivered as part of the Winter Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) in Walsall.
ACTIVEMANIA by Bethel Lighthouse was one of many activities on offer during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Their workshop ‘I Can Cook’ offered eligible children and young people the opportunity to make delicious dishes and desserts prepared from scratch to enjoy at lunchtime. Menus were customised to tie in with the festive season.
Children also had the opportunity to learn about nutrition and ‘growing your own’ produce, as well as sharing the importance of healthy eating. Keeping fit, to live longer, preventing disease and ensuring the body has enough nutrients were some of the reasons for keeping to a healthy diet.
Children left the session feeling inspired and motivated to continue cooking at home with their families.
“ It’s really encouraging to hear about our fantastic HAF projects. They provide an opportunity for eligible children and young people to learn new skills, make friends and enjoy nutritious meals during the holidays.
HAF gives children access to a range of activities to have fun, grow, learn, and thrive locally. I am delighted that this winter, over 6,000 individual places were booked across our HAF projects in the borough. I would like to thank our HAF team and the providers for offering these activities for our children and young people to get involved in, and to our families for continuing to support the HAF programme each term. “
“ We want to encourage children and families to have healthier futures and live active and fulfilling lives. HAF is a perfect example of offering physical activity and food activities to children and young people across the borough. It also benefits families in providing a better understanding of nutrition and food budgeting, as well as signposting to further information and support. “
To find out more about the HAF programme in Walsall, visit the Walsall Council website.
Walsall Right for Children (WR4C) facilitates the HAF programme and can be contacted by email at WR4C@walsall.gov.uk. Follow the team on X or Facebook for updates.
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Notes to editor:
- Walsall Council was awarded £1.8m from Department for Education (DFE) funding to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme in 2024.
- *The programme is aimed at children and young people ages 5 to 16 years, eligible for free school meals to offer healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays.
