Food Standards Agency Wales announces 2005 'AFAL' award winners

Wednesday 15 June 2005

Ref: WA 013/O5CK

The Food Standards Agency Wales has announced the winners of its 2005 AFAL award scheme. The Award, launched in November 2003, is a scheme to recognise individual or team contributions to local nutrition initiatives that have made a positive impact on the diet or eating habits in the communities they serve.

There are five Award categories, which correspond to the various strands of the Nutrition Strategy for Wales - outlined in the Food and Well Being document published in February 2003 that identifies the actions required by key players to improve the diet of people in Wales. The categories are:

• Initiatives to inform and educate the community
• Initiatives to promote/facilitate access and availability
• Initiatives to support weight management
• Initiatives that demonstrate multi-agency working
• Initiatives that are innovative in their approach

Professor Robert Pickard, Director General of the British Nutrition Foundation, a member of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee for FSA Wales and a member of the judging panel said: 'The breadth of nominations received for this year's AFAL Awards has once again highlighted the importance that is being given to improving nutrition in the community. For the second year running, all entries were of a high calibre making the judging a difficult process. Each of these winners and runners up has demonstrated how hard work, initiative, commitment and enthusiasm has helped to promote better diets in their community.'

In the first category, Initiatives to inform and educate the community, the winner was the Cooks on Tour, run by Fairbridge De Cymru of Cardiff. The aim of this project is to help break the cycle of deprivation and poor health through targeting vulnerable and at risk young people who would otherwise not learn the skills to live and eat healthily. A finale of this initiative was a cooking tour around other Fairbridge centres across the UK where the young people showed what they had learned by displaying their culinary talents.

The runner-up in this category is the Cookery and Nutrition Skills in Youth Clubs project, run by Denbighshire County Council's Youth Service. This project supports food-related initiatives and positive lifestyle choices relating to nutrition and health within youth club settings. This includes Cook & Eat sessions, fruit and milk provision in targeted youth clubs and a garden allotment scheme to help young people learn and experience growing, planting and eating organic produce.

In the second category, Initiatives to Promote/Facilitate Access and Availability, the winner is the Fresh and Fruity Food Co-operative, run by the Bryncynon Strategy of Matthewstown, near Mountain Ash in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The aim of this project is to make available to the whole community, good quality, affordable, nutritious fruit and vegetables. The co-op attempts to remove some of the barriers to people's reluctance to eat more healthily, for example through healthy recipes and information distributed via the co-op. The fruit and vegetables are bought from a local greengrocer and then sold on to the community.

The runner up in this category is the Java Bean Healthy Eating Cyber Cafe, run by the Glynneath Training Centre. The project has an allotment that provides organically grown produce for a healthy eating cafe and gives local people the opportunity to do voluntary work. Free IT training is also provided to show them how to use the computer and guide them on Learndirect courses. The cafe provides low cost healthy eating options for the whole community including a takeaway, a children's party service and free Internet access.

In the third category, Initiatives to support weight management, the winner is the Lighten Up & Tighten Up project, run by the Nutrition & Dietetic Department of Maelor Hospital in Wrexham. This project aims to provide an alternative to commercial slimming clubs for groups or individuals within disadvantaged communities, who need and want to lose weight. It assists them to make small, achievable and realistic changes to their lifestyles. Weekly support and advice regarding what constitutes a healthy diet, the importance of healthy eating on a budget and the importance of slow sensible weight loss is provided without restrictions of cost, time and location.

The runner up project in this category is Heart'ELY, run by the Riverside Health Centre in Cardiff. The aim of this project is to enable people in the Ely and Caerau areas who are at risk of developing coronary heart disease or of worsening existing heart disease, to reduce some of the major risk factors. which contribute to the disease. It provides advice and support on healthy eating, exercise, weight and stress management. This is done through a multidisciplinary team including a dietitian, physiotherapists and an occupational therapist.

The winner of the fourth category, Initiatives that demonstrate multi-agency working is the Food for Fun - Valley Kids project, based in Tonypandy. This project promotes healthy eating for children aged 5-12 through providing hands on, creative experiences and educating children about the importance of a balanced diet for physical and mental wellbeing. The weekly sessions include cooking skills and have led to the production of a healthy eating recipe book. The groups and organisations involved in this project are the local Health Promotion Board, local schools and community groups, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Penycraig and District Communities First Regeneration Partnership.

The runner up in this category is the Oranges St Mellons Fruit and Vegetable Co-operative, which aims to provide easy access to good quality fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices. A further aim is to encourage healthy eating, which includes providing recipes, having fruit taster sessions and cooking food such as vegetable soup, which is given out free of charge. The co-op also works with the local schools, as children are a priority group for them. The fruit and vegetables are bought from a local wholesaler and more recently they have bought tomatoes from a local grower and fresh eggs from a local farmer. This scheme works in partnership with St Mellons Enterprise Centre, St Mellons Community Education Centre, St Mellons Healthy Living Project, local schools and councillors, health authorities, the Rural Regeneration Unit and Voluntary Action Cardiff.

The final category in the AFAL Awards is Initiatives that are innovative in their approach. The winner in this category is the Operation Christmas Turkey project. This project set out to provide a group of eight single mothers from a deprived area of Anglesey with the necessary skills and confidence to cook a Christmas dinner for their families. This was delivered through five 'hands on' half-day sessions. The course was accredited to the Open College Network level one and a certificate in Basic Nutrition, Hygiene and Food skills was awarded on completion of a portfolio.

The Runner-up in this final category is the Newport-based Pilot Project, run by Solas Cymru, which provides accommodation, training and support for single homeless people in the city. The Pilot Project, an arts and sports-based day centre, helps homeless people become part of the local community by developing their particular talentsand providing them with the skills, confidence and training to build a career. Over 500 young people have benefited from the courses offered by the project, and for many it has helped equip them for life outside the project.

The Awards were presented by John Griffiths, AM and Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services at the Welsh Assembly Government, at FSA Wales' Nutrition Strategy conferences held on 19 May and 15 June in Llandudno and Cardiff respectively. The winners in each category received
2000 for investment into their healthy eating initiative, a celebratory fruit bowl and a certificate. Runners up received
1000 again for investment in the initiative, a celebratory fruit bowl and a certificate.