Food and Fun

This week Food and Fun in Cwm Taf Morgannwg launches for its seventh successful year.

Food and fun is a school-based programme delivered by school staff and partners for a minimum of 12 days over the school summer holidays.

This multiagency project provides healthy meals, nutrition education, sports and other physical activity opportunities to children and families, and promotes learning through a programme of enrichment activities. This consistently sees a range of positive outcomes:

• Improved mental health and emotional wellbeing
• School engagement and educational attainment
• Improved aspirations
• Improved physical activity
• Improved dietary behaviour

Programmes aim to involve the whole family, support the development of new skills based on health and well-being and make better use of existing facilities over the summer holidays, whilst making new friends and having fun.

The Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Health Dietetic team have provided training to 49 school staff and sports coaches to be in the best possible position to promote positive nutrition messages through a range of specifically designed games and activities. As a result, food and fun will be delivered on 17 school sites across Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB this year, offering places to 760 young people.

Shelley Powell, Dietetic Professional Manager for Public Health at Cwm Taf Morgannwg says: 

“After a difficult few years in schools, it has been a privilege for public health dietetic staff to be able to not only train staff and quality assure the delivery of Food and Fun, but this year, to also step in and deliver the programme in Merthyr.  This will ensure local children continue to access this amazing provision which provides much needed structure, fun and learning opportunities to children and families over the summer’.

If your local school is interested in delivering food and fun next year, please contact Shelley.Powell@wales.nhs.uk

For more information visit 'Food and Fun' Film - WLGA.