Schools Competition
The initiative was supported by Mid Beds District Council and Stevenage Leisure Limited , Bedfordshire County Council, Bedfordshire Healthy Schools, Bedford Hospital NHS Trust and DSD Leisure. As part of this, young people taking part were entered into a Tick for Lunch competition to win a variety of prizes.
The local initiative supported the national Million Meals campaign, encouraging pupils and their families to enjoy healthy food in school. Schools must now offer healthier choices at lunch time, with more fresh food and less fried and processed foods. All children were eligible to take part if they wished, regardless of whether they had a school or packed lunch.
Mid Beds District Council in conjunction with its Leisure Contractor, Stevenage Leisure Ltd donated a year’s free membership for the winner and their family to Flitwick Leisure Centre. This includes inductions for the parents to the gym, free Lifestyles membership for both parents and free swimming for a year for the children (casual swimming). Emilia Libit from Flitwick Lower School won the prize which was awarded to her on 11th March at her school.
Carol Leverkus, (Bedford Hospital Schools Dietician) said:
“We are running a competition with prizes to engage schools in encouraging healthier lunch choices, but really everyone is a winner if they eat better. We are encouraging all children to include a protein food, such as meat, fish, cheese or egg, a vegetable and a fruit in their lunch and to drink some water. At the same time we hope the processed foods such as crisps, cakes, biscuit bars and sausage rolls will be limited to just 1 item a day”.
Adrian Lear, Leisure Management Contract Officer at Mid Bes District Council, said:
"We supported this competition with Stevenage Leisure Limited as it complimented what we are trying to achieve at our facilities. It was aimed not only at educating the children but the whole family.
“Within our Lifestyles centre we are developing the support network required for all the community in achieving the lifestyle that they want mainly by encouraging them to achieve the goals that they set themselves.
“Working with the Primary Care Trust and Bedford Hospital, we are developing programmes aimed at assisting the whole community to improve their lifestyle, whether that be providing advice on Healthy Eating (as in this case) - weight reduction through counterweight (which is the only weight loss programme supported by the NHS) increasing physical activity (through the use of the wellness system), or helping customers to give up smoking.
“Cllr Anita Lewis (Leisure Culture and Safer Communities Portfolio Holder) stated
“No longer should leisure centres be seen as places for the fit, they are now able to providing the community with the information and support that they require to make choices about the way they enjoy their health.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1) How The Competition worked…
The aim was for a “healthy balanced plate” following the standards for school lunches.
The scheme guidelines meant eating at least one item from each of the following food groups:
Vegetable (e.g. cooked, salad, carrot or pepper sticks, tomatoes etc),
starchy food (e.g. bread,potato, pasta, rice, couscous)
protein (e.g. meat, fish, beans, lentils, eggs )
fruit (includes pure fruit juice) together with some water
and a dairy food most days (i.e. milk, cheese, yogurt).
Children should also be aiming to limit the fatty and sugary foods e.g. pastry, cakes, biscuits, crisps and chips to just one item (or none) on most days.
Specially trained pupil monitors were responsible for issuing one or two stamps on a participating child’s reward card depending on how closely the children met the guidelines. Children making a really special effort to eat better than usual may also have received a reward stamp.
Rules could be adapted to cater for any special dietary needs. Those choosing a school dinner all week earned bonus stamps, as local and national research has shown that school dinners are providing healthier choices than home packed lunches as well as social benefits.
The reward cards were entered into a weekly prize draw to win sports leisure or Sainsbury’s vouchers. In addition there was a main draw to win a year’s membership for a family to a local leisure centre or a family meal out.
2) The Tick for Lunch initiative is supported by Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, Bedfordshire County Council, Bedfordshire Healthy Schools, Mid Beds District Council with Stevenage Leisure, Leisure Connection in South Bedfordshire, DSD Leisure, local restaurants and Sainsbury’s.
