Families have been enjoying free High Kicks cooking and activity sessions at Greenfields school in Wideopen, thanks to a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The after-school sessions are designed to bring families together to make a healthy dish from scratch, and join in some fun physical activities while the food is cooking.
North Tyneside Council is partnering with North Tyneside VODA to deliver the UKSPF programme, which is funded by the UK Government with the North East Combined Authority as the lead authority. Through UKSPF, North Tyneside Council has invested over £1.2 million through a range of grants in the North West of the Borough.
It is part of the Council’s Ambition for the North West, creating attractive places to live, new opportunities for work and business, and inspiring spaces to play and visit.
High Kicks founders are Julia Devine and Diane Wright. Diane has a background in NHS Dietetic Services in North Tyneside, delivering cooking lessons to parents in Children’s Centres, along with weaning groups, cooking for your baby, cooking from scratch and fakeaway courses.
Julia has travelled the world with her position as a travel agent and cabin crew for a major airline and has an HND in Business Studies.
Julia said: “We are both mothers and grandmothers who love cooking with the little ones. We have both spent time as single parents, working hard to feed our children on a limited budget. We are both active gym members who follow a healthy life balance of eating well and keeping fit.
“We are not chefs, we are home cooks who enjoy adapting recipes to make them healthier.
“Each cooking session is an opportunity for the children to embrace a new challenge. Through hands-on learning, they are more likely to be engaged and build on their life skills for the future. Children are much more inclined to try new foods that they have created themselves.
“Our programs encourage little ones to become budding chefs and include opportunities for families to work and play together. We want to help create a culture where families enjoy creating healthy food together.
It has been brilliant to bring our work to Greenfields Primary School in Wideopen using the UKSPF grant, with myself and our team member Vanessa Binks delivering the sessions. Vanessa is a qualified teaching assistant and nursery manager who runs an out-of-school club, and an invaluable member of our team. The UKSPF funding has allowed us to reach new communities and everyone has had a lot of fun.”
Councillor Karen Clark, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “These Kids’ Kitchen sessions help children create good habits for eating well and staying active from an early age, and they bring families together to learn new skills in an enjoyable way.
“These after-school activities build on the important work our schools do to encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles. Free activity sessions like these are brilliant at a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living, and they show that making healthy choices can be affordable and easy.”
UKSPF was made available to any voluntary and community sector organisations that provide services in Camperdown, Weetslade and Longbenton, with five different types of grants: capital, large, medium, small and youth
With a focus on creating a sense of renewed pride, identity and connectivity in local communities, UKSPF aims to increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
The capital, large, medium and youth funds are now closed, and all money has been allocated, but funding is still available through the small grants scheme via North Tyneside VODA until 31 December 2024.