AFAL awards 2008/09

Food Standards Agency Wales runs the annual Awards for Food Action Locally (AFAL) scheme to recognise individual or team contributions to local nutrition initiatives that have made a positive impact on the diet or eating habits of residents in the communities within which they operate.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Wales have again recognised projects from across Wales through the AFAL Award Scheme. Launched in 2003, the Award recognises 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. A formal presentation of the AFAL awards has been made at the winning project venues, in order for the maximum number of participants and volunteers to be present to share in each project's success.

Each of the five winners received £2,000 for investment into their initiative with five runners up each receiving £1,000. All 10 initiatives will also be presented with an engraved prize and a certificate.

C3 Training Programme: Children Cooking in the Classroom, RCT Local Public Health Team – a three-day training course for teachers and learning support assistants designed to teach food safety theory, healthy eating, and nutrition theory.

The Cooking for Pleasure Group, Dowlais – a series of 10-12 week OCN courses taking place over one day a week looking at key themes in healthy eating and other subjects.

Hen Siop Fron Goch – a village shop providing a meal delivery service to older, more isolated members of the community who no longer have access to ‘meals on wheels’ services.

Dressed for Dinner, Fairbridge Swansea – a cookery course run over two days involving a group of young people planning, budgeting, preparing, cooking and serving a meal to invited guests.

The Fitz Cookalong, Pen yr Enfys – this involves groups of alcohol and drug misusers, homeless people and people with mental health problems taking part in a cooking challenge.

Tycroes School Food Co-op – run entirely by school children who deliver the service to staff of the school, relatives and other members of the community. The pupils apply for specific jobs within the ‘business’ by application form and have to go through an interview process.

Flintshire School Nutrition Resource Boxes, Community Development Dietetics Team, Wrexham Maelor Hospital –- the project produced a resource box for school nurses and educators providing supportive training and resource materials, allowing them to successfully plan and implement food and nutrition activities within Flintshire schools. Some of the materials can be downloaded from the Health Challenge Flintshire website:
www.healthchallengeflintshire.co.uk/foodforhealth.html. Flintshire Appetite for Life Dietitian Alys Roberts, who nominated the project for the award commented 'The nutrition boxes have proved themselves to be an excellent resource, promoting and encouraging good nutrition in school aged children.'

Intergenerational Lunch, South West Rhyl Communities First – the project is run by older and younger people in the community, to promote a healthy affordable lunch to the local community. Volunteers attend healthy eating/cook and eat sessions to plan recipes.

Food and Health Strategy for Care Homes and Community Meals Service, Health Challenge Pembrokeshire – the strategy aims to provide a consistent customer centred approach to food and health for older people living in care settings across Pembrokeshire by promoting nutritionally balanced meals, snacks and drinks to those who are well, and meeting any changes in nutritional or fluid requirements during illness or disease.

'Great Tastes' Cooking Club, Workers' Educational Association – the cooking club helped members prepare a variety of healthy family meals and snacks, which match the diverse food habits of local people, to improve long term health and prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease.