Monday, September 26, 2022

Three schools across Birmingham have each been awarded a donation of £5,000, as part of the Health for Life programmeto celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Health for Life, an evidence based, award-winning programme funded by Mondelēz International, marked its milestone birthday by offering the schools that have engaged with the programme throughout the last 10 years the chance to apply for an extra grant to support projects focussed on its core themes of healthy eating and cooking, food growing and physical activity for both the children, teachers, parents and wider communities.

From a range of submissions, Elms Farm Primary School, Highfield Junior and Infants School and Hillstone Primary School were selected for their imaginative and exciting projects to receive the substantial Health for Life grant.

Sheldon-based Elms Farm Primary School, inspired by their pupils’ ideas, will use the £5,000 donation to create a brand-new outdoor fitness area which can be enjoyed at break and lunchtimes, with the aim to increase physical activity and encourage students to live an active and healthier lifestyle. The facilities will also be available to the wider community and for holiday clubs.

Highfield Junior and Infants School’s, Saltley, will create a diverse outdoor classroom for use during lessons, break-times and for family involvement. Complete with tables, benches, as well as raised beds, a mini orchard and sensory garden, the grant will enable children to spend more enrichment time outdoors and learn how to grow their own food.

Shard-Ends’ Hillstone Primary School’s grant will enable the school to extend their focus on cooking and healthy eating with the creation of a dedicated and fully-equipped cooking classroom for students, which the local community will also be able to access. The new kitchen will not only enhance life skills by giving all children hands-on cooking opportunities but will also be used for family cooking courses.

Emma Baxter, headteacher at Elms Farm Primary School, said: “The Health for Lifeprogramme has been incredibly beneficial in educating our students about leading a healthy lifestyle, so we’re delighted to receive this fantastic donation, which will enable us to develop a fitness area for pupils across the school to enjoy.”

Headteacher at Highfield Junior and Infants School, Ashley Knibbs, commented: “We are very grateful to Health for Life for their continued support and this generous grant. It has provided us an opportunity to make a real difference, improve our outdoor facilities and enable us to continue to inspire pupils about the importance of living a healthier life.”

Rosie Millns, Health for Life lead at Hillstone Primary School, added: “Thanks to Health for Life’s contribution, our brand-new cookery classroom will ensure we can continue teaching students and also involve families in more cookery sessions, dishes, some of which will use ingredients that they’ve harvested in our very own school allotment.”

Introduced by Mondelēz International in 2011, the Health for Life programme has reached more than 230,000 children and adults in Birmingham. With an investment of over £4.6m from the business to date, the initiative is delivered in partnership with Services For Education and The Conservation Volunteers (TCV). Through local schools and communities, the programme engages people in growing fruit and vegetables, learning about healthy eating, improving cooking skills and taking part in a range of physical activities.

Kelly Farrell, community affairs manager at Mondelēz International, said: “We’re extremely proud that for over 10 years, our Health for Life programme has inspired school children, their teachers, parents and local communities across the region to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

“We’re delighted to celebrate the programmes’ anniversary with these grants and know that they will have direct positive impacts for both adults and children across the local community.

For more information about the work carried out by Health for Life in schools, please visit https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/health-for-life/ and, in the community, visit www.tcv.org.uk/midlands/health-for-life.