The Food and Fitness for Families Project has recruited its first wave of volunteers to receive training to deliver a family orientated health initiative focusing on nutrition, physical activity and play.
The Big Lottery has funded this three year project under the Way of Life – Healthy Home Tutors model and it will be managed in partnership by Cardiff Council’s Leisure Services and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
The programme aims to work primarily with families from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities with children aged 12 and under living in Penylan, Plasnewydd, Canton and neighbouring wards. Families will be taught over twelve weeks about the importance of a healthy diet and regular physical activity through the avenue of play by trained volunteers recruited from their own communities.
Fifteen people have stepped forward to deliver the family programme and they will receive a range of training that includes Level 2 OCN in community food and nutrition skills; cooking skills; food hygiene; First Aid and play and physical activity awareness training.
Volunteers have come from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nigerian, Iraqi, Gujarati and English backgrounds, which is fantastic as the whole purpose is for the project to be delivered by people to help their own communities. Volunteers will be ready to deliver the first 12- week programme to families from mid April to June 2010. A further six programmes will be delivered during term time until June 2012.
Retired doctor Yasmin Akhtar Khan and retired accountant Hussein Bibi Khan are sisters who have volunteered for the project. They said, “We are looking forward to the training so we can start working with families to help them take the steps to improve their health. The play element of the project is a fun and exciting way to engage both parents and their children and doing volunteering work for my community is really satisfying and an enjoyable experience.”
Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure & Culture said “I’m delighted that the first volunteers have signed up to deliver the Big Lottery funded Food and Fitness for Families project. From research that was carried out in support of this programme we learnt that BME communities were lacking in role models who could inspire people to lead a healthier, more physically active lifestyle. These volunteers are the role models that could make a real difference to the health of people living within their own communities and I wish them every success.”
For further information on how to become a volunteer or to enrol your family onto the project please call 029 2078 8416 or email [email protected].
The Big Lottery Fund distributes half of the National Lottery good cause funding across the UK. The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need
