NHS-led BMI Can Do It movement partners with British Nutrition Foundation and Healthy Schools to deliver innovative Healthy Eating Week
BMI Can Do It, the NHS-driven local healthy living movement, is partnering with the British Nutrition Foundation, the Healthy Schools initiative which is commissioned by the Local Authorities, and local organisations including Peterborough and Cambridge United Football Clubs, PECT, Living Sport, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough School Games to deliver Healthy Eating Week from 14-18 June.
Secondary schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are being invited to take part in this exciting team effort, with young people in Year 7 and Year 8 being particularly encouraged to try the range of virtual activities and sessions on offer.
As the country continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have dealt with unprecedented stress, limited chances to exercise and disruption of their routines. All of these things can make it more difficult to make healthy decisions, to stay active and to stick to a suitable diet.
As part of the Healthy Eating Week schools will be offered full access to a free suite of digital activities and livestreamed Q&A sessions to help students in Year 7 and Year 8 learn more about healthy lifestyles. Among the sessions there will be an opportunity to learn more about the work of school caterers, a number of training videos from Peterborough and Cambridge United Football Clubs, and a series of short learning activities that set the record straight on some of the most common “food myths”. Resources will be accessible free of charge through https://www.bmicandoit.co.uk/healthy-eating-week/ and Healthy Eating Week led by BMI Can Do It in partnership with BNF – Healthy Schools (healthyschoolscp.org.uk)
Through the Healthy Eating Week, NHS and public health leaders are joining forces with national charity the British Nutrition Foundation as well as fantastic local institutions to encourage and empower students to make healthier decisions after a tough year.
Commenting on the partnership initiative, Jan Thomas, Joint Accountable Officer for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS), said:
“We know it’s been a really difficult year for students across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with routines upended and team sport and other ways of exercising being limited for most of the past 12 months.
“As a health partnership we want to work together to support young people across the county to make decisions that will help them live happy, healthy lives. We are proud to work with the British Nutrition Foundation, Healthy Schools and colleagues at the Local Authorities and brilliant voluntary organisations and sport clubs in our area on this innovative health focused week, which will allow students to learn about healthy lifestyles in an enjoyable, accessible way.”
Commenting on the partnership, Roy Ballam, Managing Director and Head of Education, British Nutrition Foundation said,
“The past year has been particularly challenging for young people, with disruption to schools as well as to opportunities to socialise and be active. However, now as part of Healthy Eating Week, we want to help young people to re-focus and feel empowered to look after their own health. The overall theme of the week is ‘find your healthier you’, with a dedicated theme for each day of the week and we’d like to support everyone by sharing free access to the evidence-based resources and tools we have put together for this initiative. We are delighted to be working in partnership with BMI Can do it to help support young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough during Healthy Eating Week. ”
Val Thomas, Acting Director of Public Health at the Local Authorities, said:
“The Local Authority, in partnership with our health and voluntary sector partners, are committed to working collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people. Healthy Eating Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and promote the benefits of finding ‘a healthier you’, by encouraging a whole school approach to health, wellbeing and resilience through equipping staff, pupils and the wider school community with resources to help them make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.”