Action group to tackle
child obesity “time bomb”
by John Hendon
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SCHOOL meals chiefs at Warrington are tackling the obesity among children issue head-on – with a new initiative to steer youngsters towards healthy eating.
Aware of the healthy eating and obesity time bomb affecting children across the UK, a special healthy eating action group has been formed to help combat the trend of eating junk foods and increasing the amount of healthy and fresh food on school menus.
The group will work alongside the borough council’s Food and Health Steering group which will bring together experts from the council’s support services, Education, NHS, and Primary Care Trusts who will be looking to introduce initiatives across the many headings of Healthy Lifestyles.
Over the next few months the group’s main objective is to plan and trial healthy food options onto school menus, returning to traditional, old-fashioned values of good quality home-made dishes. All trials will be carefully evaluated and introduced on a wider basis as soon as possible.
Catering Services manager Gordon Carson said: “We have no preconceived ideas about the new menus and what the content will be. It’s a clean slate and a fresh start, and a very difficult issue to tackle.
“We have always had healthy eating at heart, but we would like to increase the amount of healthy fresh foods on our menus. At the same time we will need to consider the type and style of food children expect and enjoy.
“One of the overriding considerations is to minimise the amount of processed food we offer on our menus. We are already working hard behind the scenes with food manufacturers and suppliers who have agreed to minimise on a reducing basis the levels of salt, sugar and fat that goes into the processed type of food that children enjoy.
“As professional caterers, we believe in the health of young people in Warrington, we plan to minimise fat sugar and salt and increase fibre in the meals we produce, thereby kick-starting healthy eating in schools.”
Students pick up
sports therapy awards
by Terry Johnson
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STUDENTS of Warrington Collegiate have gained sports therapy advanced diplomas.
Facing new challenges are Lisa Hartley and Carl Rutter, who will be taking sports therapy degrees at Teeside and Kent Universities, while Emma Martin is set to expand her existing role taking gym classes by doing lecturing work.
Fellow students, Kathryn Jones and Susan Park, are planning to start a sports therapy business.
Chris Plant, who has completed his Diploma, will return to the Collegiate next year to take the advanced stage.
Course tutor, Dave Whiteside, said: “The students have enjoyed the chance to carry out sports therapies on professional rugby league players, amateur and recreational runners, footballers and members of the public.
“They have shown great dedication and a high degree of competence in their practical and theoretical work.
I am especially pleased that two students have been accepted on the recently introduced Sports Therapy Degree”.
Ball raises over
?4,000 for hospice
by Gary Skentelbery pictures: John King
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A special ball with a 40’s theme to mark the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings helped raise over ?4,000 for St Rocco’s Hospice, Warrington.
The event took place at the Daresbury Park Hotel and whole evening was as authentic as possible, with music from the big band sounds, George Formby soundalikes and Vera Lynn classics.
Guests tucked in to a 1940s menu with cornbeef terrine, steamed chicken with bubble and squeak followed by bread and butter pud.
Ration books and drinks vouchers, bunker bars and even an air raid siren went off during the night while guests playing the Tombola had the chance to win tins of corn beef or Spam!
Many of the guests entered into the spirit of the evening and dressed as Army, Navy or RAF. The Beverly sisters, land Army, Spiv?s with suitcases as well as period evening dresses.
The next St Rocco?s Hospice big ball will be the annual Charity Ball, which will be at the Hanover hotel on Friday October 22. If anyone is interested in tickets or information please call the Appeals Department on 01925 575780.
Pictures show fund raisers from left, Mike Bloomfield, Lesley Groome and Claire Manock and above From left, Dennis Whitby, Mary Jakeman, Barbara Whitby, Linda Blythe and Martin Carson.
Euro soccer boost for
for knockout tournament
by staff reporter
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EURO soccer fever is boosting enthusiasm for a community knockout tournament at Warrington next Sunday(June 27).
Great Sankey Leisure Centre has teamed up with the Warrington Ethnic Sports Association for the open to all event.
The junior football tournament will run from 10.00am-3.00pm for groups aged five to eight, nine to 12.
The community coaching initiative is geared to creating lifelong friendships between children from all ethnic backgrounds.
The programme offers children from five to 16 the chance to make friends and socialise, while improving health through sports like rugby, football and martial arts.
Ivan Baracskai, manager of Great Sankey Leisure Centre, said: “This event is all about having fun.”
School “oasis” created
by unique partnership
by staff reporter
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A STUNNING “oasis” is being built at Fox Wood Special School in Birchwood, Warrington – thanks to a unique partnership driven by high school pupils and generous organisations right across the town.
The brainchild of sixth form and Year 9 pupils at Great Sankey High School – which was awarded specialist ‘Engineering’ status in September – the project is set to transform an area of derelict, waterlogged marsh land in the grounds of the special school into a beautiful nature reserve.
Students have, together with the support and guidance of staff from the international construction company Costain Limited, designed and project-managed the development of the land, supported by Lever Faberge, Warrington Borough Council, Jewson, Wyevale Garden Centre, Maidenhead Aquatics, Montgomery Watson Harza and United Utilities who have all donated money, resources and manpower to make the pupils dream a reality.
The new multi-sensory education area will give the special school children, who have severe disabilities or learning difficulties, the chance to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the environment.
A huge waterfall will be the centrepiece of the oasis, along with pond and marsh areas teeming with wildlife, with bridges and multi-sensory pathways creating an area of peace and reflection.
Bulldozers and excavators, provided by Costain Limited, will arrive on site today (Monday)along with 10 employees from Lever Faberge with strimmers and wheelbarrows, who will be rolling up their sleeves to support the youngsters from the high school. Work is due to take around a week to complete and all those behind the project hope to take the first schoolchildren from Fox Wood around the oasis on Friday (June 25).
Margaret Harwood-Housley, Engineering Director at Great Sankey High is co-ordinating the ‘project managing’ team of students. She said: “This has taken sixth months of hard work and our pupils have been an inspiration throughout the development of this project – they should be very proud.
“Gaining specialist engineering status has enabled us to forge superb links with big engineering organisations, such as Costain, and without their help there is no way we could have got this project off the ground.”
Alan Yates, headteacher at Great Sankey High,said: “This has been a massive collaboration of effort, time an
d resources and every organisation that has supported us has done so because they believe in this project and they believe in what it will mean to these very special pupils. We cannot thank them enough.”
Craig Eames, regional co-ordinator for Costain’s Building Awareness Scheme, said: “Since partnering with Great Sankey High School, our aim has been to raise the awareness of careers within the construction industry.
“Through the hard work and enthusiasm of staff and students, the staff involved from Costain, in particular Alan Cheung and Tony Kopec, and the support of the numerous organisations we have managed to provide the pupils at Foxwood with the opportunity to experience what most people take for granted. It is truly a fantastic effort and achievement.”
A spokesperson from Lever Faberge said: “The enthusiasm from employees has been fantastic.
“We are hoping for amazing results, as well as giving our staff the opportunity to get involved in community projects.”
