Caerphilly Senior Citizens To Join The Breakfast Club
Wednesday 12 December 2001
About 50 senior citizens will meet for breakfast tomorrow (Thursday) in a healthy eating initiative sponsored by the Food Standards Agency Wales.
The Trecenydd OAPs club will be holding the second of four healthy eating talks at 2.30pm in the 49 Club, The Crescent, Caerphilly. Club members will listen to a talk by freelance dietician Christine Cashin, and receive a nutritious breakfast to take home afterwards.
The breakfasts - which comprise cereal, milk, fruit juice and a piece of fruit - have been funded by a ¿450 FSA Wales grant given to support and encourage healthy eating. The pensioners group will also hold similar events in January and February where nutritious lunch and evening meal ideas will be discussed, and ingredients handed out free of charge. The first meeting, held last month, comprised a general healthy eating discussion.
The club's grant follows a request earlier this year for community and volunteer groups to apply for funding towards healthy eating initiatives aimed at people aged 65 and over. Some 17 groups have successfully won a portion of ¿10,000 made available through the National Assembly for Wales' Keep Well This Winter campaign.
Jayne Griffiths determined the successful applications for funding. She said: "I am delighted that the Trecenydd OAP club has shown such enthusiasm in providing healthy eating talks and the ingredients needed for a nutritious breakfast. A positive outlook towards diet, particularly during the winter months, is very important for senior citizens. I hope they enjoy their afternoon, and look forward to the lunch and dinner events planned for the New Year."
News contact: Kathryn Corcoran (029) 20 678915
Notes to editors
- Healthy eating plays an important role in the health of older people. It can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and some cancers, aid recovery from illness maintain independence and lead to a better quality of life. A good diet is especially important during the winter, when people can be at their most vulnerable to illness.
- One of the Food Standards Agency's roles includes providing advice to the public and Government on nutrition and diet. In providing this advice, its aims it to achieve long term improvements in the diet and nutrition of the population and a reduction in inequalities by enabling and encouraging the disadvantaged and vulnerable to improve their diets.
- The National Assembly for Wales' key partners in the Keep Well This Winter campaign are: Age Concern Cymru; Care and Repair Cymru; the Food Standards Agency Wales; National Energy Action; the Royal National Institute for the Blind; Wales Council for the Blind and the Wales Youth Agency. The campaign is further supported by the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux, the Welsh Local Government Association and NHW Direct Wales.