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£2m
on menu for healthy schools
SOGGY semolina and lumpy mash
will be off the menu in Liverpool when a two million pound plan
brings Liverpool’s school meals into the 21st century.
Liverpool school children will soon be healthier than ever thanks to
a city-wide initiative to promote healthy eating by the city council
and Liverpool Primary Care Trust. It is also aimed at tackling the
rise of obesity in school children.
The £2m is to be invested in transforming school food in Liverpool.
It will encourage more children to have a school meal by making the
food more nutritious and tasty, and will educate pupils, staff and
parents to make healthy food choices and to exercise more.
The key elements of the school food strategy are:-
► Every secondary school in the city will receive £10,000 to be
spent on improving school food and dining rooms. Schools will use
the money to buy dishwashers, cutlery, ovens, art displays and
furniture.
► A School Food Team of specialist food advisors will visit schools
to check the nutritional value of the food on offer and arrange
taste tests to encourage youngsters to try new things.
► More water coolers will be installed in every secondary school to
encourage children not to drink fizzy or less healthy sweetened soft
drinks.
► Fruit vending machines will be offered to every secondary school
so pupils get their recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a
day. Trials show that not only do concentration levels improve, but
much less litter is created thanks to reduced packaging.
► Salad bars to be introduced all primary schools.
► A cashless payment system for secondary schools to encourage
children entitled to free school meals and children from low income
families to eat school lunches. Not only will this reduce long
queues but will also allow staff and parents to monitor a pupil’s
food choices.
Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the city council have funded
the initiative.
The city council’s executive director for children’s services,
Stuart Smith, said:- “Educating children about healthy eating
and active lifestyles is very important in Liverpool.
There is a huge amount of research which shows that children’s
health and wellbeing affects attendance, academic attainment and
helps improve behaviour.
The type of food eaten during the
day directly affects concentration levels.
This new initiative makes sure all schools will have the positive
advice, support and resources to help children become healthier and
more motivated in school.
Working in partnership with the PCT means we can make sure health is
permanently on the menu and we’re extremely grateful to them for
their support.”
Joint Director of Public Health for Liverpool PCT and the city
council, Dr Paula Grey, said:- “This comprehensive Liverpool
initiative is in line with the government’s drive to get more
children to have school meals, to improve the standards of school
eating and so tackle childhood obesity and health.
Although some activity will be in the primary sector, the main focus
of this particular investment is the city’s secondary schools.
That is because the freedom of
personal choice exercised by older children brings greater
challenges at secondary level and also because a lot of good work is
already being undertaken in primary schools.
This initiative is an excellent use of PCT resources because no
pupil will escape its impact and we will also ensure it is backed by
research to measure its success.”
The transforming school food plans was launched at a special event
at LACE on Wednesday, 16 April 2008, after which a brand new Healthy
Schools Bus was unveiled by a first team Everton FC player.
It will visit primary and secondary schools on request and educate
pupils about the importance of healthy eating and exercise in a fun
and accessible way. The new bus is full of hi-tech
equipment, including a top-of-the-range treadmill and heart monitor
which will assess the children’s fitness.
As part of the city’s ‘Children and Young People plan’
one of the main priorities is to reduce levels of obesity by 10
per cent in 11 year olds by 2009. Findings in 2007 suggest that in
Liverpool, when children reach Year 6 (ages 10 to 11), 20.7% of boys
and 14.8% of girls are obese.
Healthy schools team manager Stephen Tiffany, said:- “This
work really will transform school meals and will make sure children
get into the healthy eating habit at an early age.
We have been working on this strategy for over a year and it’s great
to see all the plans come to fruition.
There has been a huge amount of consultation with teachers about
what they would like to see in their schools to encourage pupils to
have school meals, and we’ve responded to many of their
suggestions."
Food children can expect on their healthy school menus will range
from tuna pasta salad and vegetable lasagne to peach melba flapjacks
and marshmallow flans. |
The
Albert Dock's 10th Birthday - May Bank Holiday Weekend 2008
ALBERT Dock Company is delighted
to invite you to celebrate the 20th Birthday of the Albert Dock,
Liverpool’s most visited tourist attraction. The fun starts with
face painters, free Jelly Belly Beans at Quay Confectionery and
balloons for the kids at The Beatles Story. The Savoy Jazz Band will
get the party in full swing on Sunday 4 May 2008 and a birthday
Treasure Hunt starting at the Visitor Centre in Anchor Courtyard on
the 3 May 2008 will get all the family involved.
Tate Liverpool is also celebrating 20 years at the Albert Dock over
the Bank Holiday weekend and is hosting a series of events and
activities for you and all the family. From icing cakes to den
making and birthday party games in the Marquee on the Mermaid
Courtyard, to Giggle Tours with comedians (11am to 1pm) and Artists
Talks (2pm to 4pm). On Saturday 3rd May there will be live
performances from Sense of Sound, a Lantern Parade (6pm) and a
Northern Soul event, ‘Long After Tonight’ (7pm to
11pm).
Liverpool Culture Company has commissioned a special performance
called ‘The Line’ with a new musical score and dance
performance by 100 young people from Liverpool to celebrate the
birthday of the Albert Dock. Each one will be taking place outside
the Merseyside Maritime Museum every half hour from 12pm till 2pm on
Saturday 3 May 2008.
The Beatles Story are bringing the Beatles Valuation Day to the
party on 5 May 2008, so be sure to dig out all of your Fab Four
memorabilia and bring it to the Dock for a free valuation in their
new Chill Out Zone. Yellow Duckmarine Tours will be offering a free
Duck Quacker for all the kids booked on the Duckmarine on Bank
Holiday Monday, Shiverpool Tours are offering a birthday ‘Scare Two
get One Free’ on all their tours in May, while Tate Liverpool’s
celebrations continue with Story Telling daily from John Hughes.
Live music will be at the heart of the birthday celebrations, many
of the bars and restaurants will have live music to enjoy while you
dine. Gusto (formerly Est Est Est) have live music all day on
Sunday, 4 May 2008 with Dominic Halpin and the Honeybees playing at
2pm and Perfectly Frank at 7.30pm, in addition the Pan American Club
brings you BBC’s The One & Only Tony Lewis singing Robbie Williams
later that evening.
In addition The Pan American Club, Blue, and Gusto are all offering
Birthday menus and cocktails and Babycream and Circo are offering a
2-4-1 on special Albert Dock birthday cocktails.
Fact File...
► The Albert Dock was designed by
Liverpool Dock Trustees’ surveyor Jesse Hartley and named after
Prince Albert. Work began in 1841 and it opened in 1846.The Dock's
warehouses stored valuable cargo from all over the world. Steamers,
barges, brandy boats and corvettes (in World War II) all docked
there.
► The dock's fortunes waned after WWII, and it closed in 1972. In
1983 The Albert Dock Company Ltd and the Merseyside Development
Corporation began to restored the site to its former glory,
breathing new life into a rundown area. In 1988 the Albert Dock was
officially re-opened by HRH Prince Charles.
► 2008 will mark the Dock’s 20th anniversary since it’s restoration
in 1988.
► 1988 to 1996 Richard and Judy presented This Morning on Granada
TV. Their studio looked out onto the Albert Dock. Fred Talbot
presented the weather standing on a floating map of the UK; viewers
cheered each time he leaped across from Mainland Britain to Northern
Ireland.
► The Dock has the largest group of Grade 1 listed buildings in
Britain and is a World Heritage Site.
Thanks to blood
donors for gift of life over Easter 2008
THE National Blood Service has
issued a huge thank you to blood donors in the North West for
helping keep blood stocks healthy over the Easter bank holiday.
Blood supplies typically come under pressure over the long Easter
weekend because many regular donors go away on holiday, and blood
donation sessions are not held over the extended break. However,
this year thanks to an excellent response from donors in the region
blood stocks remained at healthy levels.
Rachel Hollingworth, spokesperson for the National Blood Service,
said:- “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone across
the North West who made time to donate and save lives this Easter.
It can’t have been easy fitting it in around holidays and plans to
see family, so we are really grateful to you for making a special
effort to help others.”
Nationally blood stocks now stand at around 7 days, the ideal level
the National Blood Service aims for. However, donors will still be
needed in coming weeks to ensure they remain at reasonable levels,
as well as to replace those people who find they cannot donate due
to factors including age, travel or ill health.
Just one donation of blood, split into red cells, platelets and
plasma can save the lives of up to three patients. Around 4,700
donations are needed every week for patients across the North West.
Anyone aged 17 to 60 weighing over 7st 12lbs (50 kg), in general
good health, could potentially start saving lives by becoming a
blood donor. For more information on becoming a blood donor
including details of your nearest sessions, or to make an
appointment, call 0845 7 711 711 or visit
www.blood.co.uk. |
