Lots of schools across the city are looking at how they can promote healthy lunch boxes to both children and their families. Eating a healthy lunch at school whether it be a hot meal or a lunch box is equally important to help us keep healthy but also to help children to learn and behave better in the class room.

Foods which are high in salt, sugar and fat should be discouraged from lunch boxes and instead replaced by healthier options. All hot school meals meet strict nutritonal standards to ensure they are providing our children with a balanced diet and lunch boxes should aim to offer a similar balnce of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Through the Sheffield Let’s Change4Life Programme we are supporting schools to work with parents and pupils to promote and implement healthy lunch box policies.

Next time you have a lunch box have a look and see how healthy it is!

Filed under: Healthy Schools blog by Amy Buddery
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Look out for a host of free awareness sessions, being held throughout the Sheffield district, designed to help and inform people about the subject of childhood weight management.

The interactive sessions will take place at various locations throughout 2010 and early 2011 and are open to anyone: parents, carers, family members and young people themselves.

Fun and participatory, the sessions will focus on encouraging children and their families to lead healthy active lifestyles, incorporating nutritional advice, cookery demonstrations, physical activity and the opportunity to ask the experts about how to seek further help and support.

The sessions will focus on prevention as well as treatment strategies for helping young people who are mildly overweight through to those with much greater weight challenges.

The campaign will include a series of big open display sessions, in high profile locations throughout Sheffield.

Carol Weir, NHS Sheffield’s Programme Director for the Sheffield – Let’s Change4Life Programme comments: “We are delighted to be able to offer these training and awareness sessions as part of the Sheffield Let’s Change 4 Life programme.  They are an excellent opportunity for parents, carers and indeed any interested adults to come along and find out more about the subject and how to encourage healthy attitudes and behaviour within their own homes and families.

“The sessions are all very informal, non-judgmental and above all fun, incorporating activities such as Wii Fit Challenges, treasure hunts, simple cookery ideas and plenty of opportunity for discussion.  We’d like to encourage as many people as possible to take part.  To register your interest for forthcoming sessions please email: s.sanderson@leedsmet.ac.uk

The sessions are being delivered in conjunction with Carnegie Weight Management, based at Leeds Metropolitan University, who have been running childhood weight management programmes for over ten years, helping children and young people not only to lose weight, but to keep it off in the long-term and enjoy healthy, active lives.

Find out more:

Training & awareness

Family Fun info for kids

Fun & healthy awareness sessions information for parents & families

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Half term provided a much needed break after a manic few weeks (not to mention a bit of a respite from the weather too). A couple of days off provided a chance to get away and do some mountain biking (funny way to relax from a cycling job you may think). I also got a trip down to HQ in Bristol to do a bit of training.

But now its back to it. Had a great trip up to Ballifield today for an assembly and now making the most of  some office time before the next terms programme of events explodes into life. March 1st is the launch of the Sustrans Bike It Virtual Bike Race, it is also going to be the first Beat Peat Competition too.

Next posts will be more interesting i promise!

Filed under: Henry's Bike It blog by Henry Norman
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Our business champion programme is now really getting underway. I’ve met with a company called Outokumpu a couple of times and they’ve agreed to get behind Sheffield Let’s Change4Life in a big way.

‘Outokumpu Stainless Ltd’ is part of the international Outokumpu group, with over 7,500 employees, and they have a big base in Sheffield. They’ve already been helping their staff get healthier by making the theme of this year health and safety. This month they did an activity day which included fitness taster sessions, health and wellbeing discussions with the local gym, self defence classes and competitions with healthy prizes to be won. There was also a bottle of Vitamin water for each employee as well as a bag of mixed fruit and nuts. It is very impressive stuff and exactly the sorts of activities we want our champions to be doing.

Watch this space to find out when other companies come on board!

Filed under: Business Broker's Blog by markh
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This week I’ve been working on arranging a programme of training for Lunch Time Supervisors who have a vital role in suporting our school children during lunch times. In Sheffield we have hundreds of lunch time staff who work really hard every day to make sure pupils are safe and looked after as well as making lunch times fun!

Lunch Time Supervisors often lead and deliver play activities, manage behaviour, and help children with cultery skills as well as encouraging them to try new foods and reward them when healthy options are chosen.

Through the Sheffield Let’s Change4Life Lunch Time Supervisor training we hope to provide opportunities for Lunch Time staff to get more involved in making improvements to school lunchtimes and offer training to a group of staff who really are the stars of lunch times!

Filed under: Healthy Schools blog by Amy Buddery
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Things seem to be returning to relative normality after the Peat Peat launch (or as normal as it gets for a Sustrans Bike It Officer) But it has received some great press coverage as you can see below. Just a shame that the press don’t mention Sheffield Lets Change4Life, or the fantastic sponsorship that has been put forward by Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative -

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/School-kids-are-on-a.6047190.jp 

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Children-get-on-their-bikes.6044317.jp

http://road.cc/content/news/13798-sheffield-schoolkids-challenged-beat-peat

The rest of the week was spent visiting schools to make plans for the rest of the year, booking in some great things for the bike shelters that a lot of the Bike It schools in Sheffield will be getting in the next month or so.

Pipworth Primary are ahead of the game on that one, not only having had their bike shelters put in already, but also having bikes in them on a freezing cold and wet Friday, good work!

 One of Pipworth Primary’s brand new bike shelters (with bikes!)

 This week i have got a bit more time to work on my mapping project that is being done in partnership with the University of Sheffield, the Geographical Association and the city council. Watch this space fr future developments (it is nearly ready!)

 Finally Meynell are rounding out the week and the term with a valentines themed “Love your Bike” day, with students dressing up their bikes and cycling to school to get a free healthy breakfast, maybe win prizes for their bike decorating skills and get a chance to do some skills sessions later in the day!

Filed under: Henry's Bike It blog by Henry Norman
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I’ve just returned from Bristol where I attended the 4th National School Food Trust Ambassadors Learning Conference. This brings together school food leads from around the country to share best practice and learn about new developments in the world of school food.

The highlight of the event was a guest appearance from Olympic Gold Medalist (and Strictly Come Dancing Star) Colin Jackson who is the School Food Trust – School Food Champion. Colin’s keynote speech was inspiring as he talked about his experience of school lunch times and how supportive the staff were in making sure that pupils had enough time to attend a club and have lunch, ensuring that all pupils had an opportunity to take part in some form of physcial activity  and then enjoy a healthy school meal. He also talked about all of us including schools going that extra mile to improve school food and make lunchtimes enjoyable and fun for children and young people.

I’ve now come back to Sheffield with even more ideas about how we can support schools through the Sheffield-Let’s Change4Life Programme to improve lunch times, promote healthy eating and physical actvity and really go that extra mile!

5 A DAY update from yesterday – glass of orange juice, 1 large grilled tomato,1 whole orange cut into segments, a portion of salad with lunch and an apple on the train back = 5!!

Filed under: Healthy Schools blog by Amy Buddery
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I’ve been inspired by the fantastic Community Health Champion programme and am currently doing the rounds of some of Sheffield’s biggest companies in order to get them to champion Sheffield Let’s Change4Life. If I’m going to make any sort of impact in the business community its essential to get big brands attached to it. In France their obesity reduction programme has been supported by Nestle, Orangina Schweppes and Mars. I’m looking to do something similar with Sheffield businesses and their initial reaction has been great.

It’s a win-win situation if businesses do get involved. Their brand is associated with a positive campaign, they are supported in helping their employees to be healthier and, as a result, their productivity should improve. Best of all, it will cost them nothing. What’s not to like?

Filed under: Business Broker's Blog by markh
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Steve Peat with Sheffield's Bike It Offcers and students from Meynell Primary School

Beat Peat launched successfully at Meynell Primary School today.

So for the rest of this term Sustrans Bike It schools across Sheffield are going to be able to compete against the reigning world downhill mountain bike champion, Steve Peat, in a virtual bike race competition.

Children from Sustrans Bike It schools will be given the opportunity to virtually race Steve on a turbo trainer bike; a bike linked to a computer.

Steve  raced the half mile course, setting the benchmark time of  1.16! This was saved to the computer and set as the challenge for students to beat. The bike will allow competitors to race through the virtual mountain bike course, monitoring their progress directly against Steve’s as they go.

Steve Peat comments, “Its great to be involved with the Sustrans Bike it project, I have always encouraged young people to get into this great sport so to be involved in this way is a big bonus for me. The more young people get on their bikes at an early age, the better it is in my eyes.”

The competition is being generously supported by Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative (who’s Sheffield store is opening shortly). They are providing goodie bags for all students taking part as well as some great prizes.

Keep an eye out on here for updates of the fastest times and current leaders!

Filed under: Henry's Bike It blog by Henry Norman
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More than 30 catering establishments came together last week to celebrate healthy eating at the first annual Healthy Choices Award Ceremony.

The Healthy Choices award ceremony, funded by the Sheffield – Let’s Change4Life Programme, saw winners from across the city including:

• Best Healthy Food establishment’ went to Homemade, who not only offer healthier menu items but also healthier cooking methods used during preparation
• ‘Most breastfeeding friendly establishment’ was awarded to Nonnas for their pro-active promotion of a breastfeeding policy and welcoming environment
• The award for ‘Sourcing food locally’ was presented to Silversmiths, who actively support the local economy by sourcing 70% of ingredients from Sheffield
• ‘Fairtrade’ award went to Sharrow’s new Fair-trade coffee shop SMaRT Venue
• The ‘Community Champion Award’ was awarded to the Burton Street project, who are visited by 1500 people each week, are involved in local food initiatives, and provide work experience for people with learning difficulties
• And finally the ‘Most Inspiring Award’ was presented to Nonnas, who showed high achievement in all of the award categories

Carol Weir, NHS Sheffield’s Programme Director for the Sheffield – Let’s Change4Life Programme said: “The ceremony was a phenomenal success and demonstrates how important the healthy eating agenda is to local businesses. All the winners and shortlisted entries are already achieving so much by contributing towards offering healthier alternatives to the people of Sheffield.”

Siobhan Horsley, Food Programme Manager at Sheffield Wildlife Trust who runs the Healthy Choices programme said: “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from all the participating establishments and I’m sure that the award ceremony will grow from strength to strength as more caterers become Healthy Choice Award accredited”

Trudi Coleman from award winning Nether Edge café Homemade said: “We were delighted to win the award for Best Healthy food establishment in Sheffield and to be a part of an exciting new initiative that can only benefit the people of the city.

“We have always endeavoured to source and use local produce and offer unusual fresh salads, homemade soups and warm dishes of the day that challenge conventional ideas about vegetarian cuisine. We as owners, prepare, cook and serve all our own food, and therefore know exactly what each dish contains. This is an important aspect of offering people healthy food choices.”

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