Surrey
Young people in Guildford get cooking with Michael Gove MP
Young people from Ash Youth and Community Centre took part in an interactive, creative cookery session with their local MP, Michael Gove, on Friday 15 January 2010 as part of a national youth health campaign. Make Space for Health is run by national children’s charity 4Children and supported by Nestlé UK. The programme delivers health advice and activities in youth clubs and facilitates better ‘joined-up’ health support for young people at a national and local level.
Michael Gove, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and MP for Surrey Heath said:
“Make Space for Health is a great example of how informal settings such as youth clubs can play an important role in raising awareness of health issues. Young people deserve to have high quality health support in a range of local community settings to help them reach their full potential and set them on track for leading healthy, happy lives.”
Young people attending the event participated in a fun, interactive cookery demonstration hosted by a professional Nestlé chef who taught them some quick and simple healthy recipes. Michael Gove MP then led a quiz session on health related issues.
Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children said:
“Make Space for Health responds to young people telling us they want to be healthier but don't have enough support or know where to go to get information. That’s why this programme has been developed to ensure that health services are available in a variety of community settings so that all young people have the right kind of support at their fingertips.
Paul Grimwood, CEO, Nestlé UK, said:
“Encouraging young people to adopt healthy eating habits at a young age is critical as it gives them the best possible chance of becoming healthy adults later in life. We are proud to be supporting the Make Space for Health programme which promotes healthy lifestyles to young people outside of school. With over 140 years of experience in food and nutrition research Nestlé is committed to adding value to the communities in which we operate and placing nutrition, health and wellness at the heart of everything we do.”
Peter Martin, Surrey County Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, said:
"It is vital we continue to improve the health of pupils in Surrey's schools because children of a healthy weight are more likely to grow into healthy adults. About 99 per cent of Surrey schoolchildren - attending nearly 400 schools - are involved in our Healthy Schools programme. This initiative aims to give children and young people the skills and knowledge to make healthy food choices, while also promoting the importance of regular exercise and offering a range of opportunities to be physically active. It also includes an adviser working in partnership with NHS colleagues to offer further support to all schools about improving health and reducing obesity."
The event took place following the release of statistics from the 2008 TellUs3 Local Authority Report which revealed that 93% of young people in Surrey believe themselves to be either ‘quite healthy’ or ‘very healthy’. 32% of young people surveyed said they eat five or more fruit and vegetables per day and 38% of respondents said they were active for 30 minutes or more 6-7 days a week.