Healthy eating on Flying Start menu
A group of Vale of Glamorgan Council employees are serving up a
range of advice on healthy eating habits as part of their special
project work.
Based with the Flying Start initiative in Barry, the play
support workers and community workers achieved a 100 per cent
success rate on an Open College Network course in community food
and nutrition skills.
The 10-week course, which was supported by the YMCA College,
covered a whole range of issues from the ingredients for a healthy
diet to food labelling. It is equivalent to a GCSE grade (A-C).
The course was run by community nutrition adviser Deborah Kwan,
who is a State Registered Dietitian. She said: "The whole group can
now deliver healthy nutritional messages throughout the Flying
Start community.
"It is important that our staff have a sound knowledge of
nutritional issues so that they can encourage healthy eating habits
for families, especially children.
"We know that eating habits learned in early life persist into
adulthood so good nutrition at an early age can be a key to
preventing long-term health problems."
• Flying Start is a Welsh Assembly Government initiative
delivered through the Vale Children and Young People's Framework
and involving the Vale Council's education and children's services
departments, Vale Local Health Board, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust
and NCH from the voluntary sector.
It is targeting just under 600 children up to four years of age.
Concentrated on the catchment areas for Jenner Park, Cadoxton and
Oak Field schools, it offers:
• quality free part-time childcare for two to three year
olds
• intensive health visiting/health support
• parenting programmes and support
• basic skills for adults and children
For further information, please contact Flying Start Project
Manager Antonia Bridges on (01446) 732180.
Caption: Play support workers and community
workers with the Flying Start initiative in Barry celebrate a 100
per cent success rate on an Open College Network course in
community food and nutrition skills with course tutor Deborah Kwan,
community nutrition adviser and State Registered Dietitian.