Projects

The money raised from hosting the World’s Healthiest Afternoon Teas will be used to fund projects and activities

which support and improve the quality of holiday food provision for children living in poverty,
after school that support healthier food options for children from low income-based families,
resources, information and expertise to enhance the quality of food and the improvement of the nation’s health.

Here are some examples of the projects The Caroline Walker Trust aims to support;

Sourcing Healthy Food

Children who usually receive school meals over term-time do not have the same food provision over the summer holidays and term breaks. Often families find the added expense of food during school holidays and term breaks extremely challenging.

The Caroline Walker Trust aims to support schools, after school activities and holiday clubs by funding Registered Nutritionists and Dietitians to help improve and source healthier food options and meals during holidays, school closures and term breaks.

Expertise for Holiday Lunch Provision

The Caroline Walker Trust also aims to support the provision of lunches during holiday and term breaks by funding appropriate nutritional expertise. We will assist holiday clubs by funding Registered Nutritionists and Dietitians to help ensure the food provided is healthy, good quality and well balanced to meet all the children’s needs.

Such funding can also ensure the provision of support for fussy eaters, advice on special dietary requirements and assistance to provide food for those who may be malnourished or overweight.

Creative Food Clubs

Suitable for school children between the ages of 5 and 8.

Creative food clubs after school are an excellent way of encouraging young children to enjoy a nutritious afternoon snack. Cooking encourages children to think beyond the crisps and biscuit choice, to problem solve when only a few ingredients might be to hand, along with how to be creative when a limited variety of foods are available. Cooking activities also help children to develop confidence, while also developing fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination by peeling, chopping, mixing and arranging foods. Food preparation can improve numeracy and literacy through measurement and reading recipes.

The Caroline Walker Trust aims to fund the provision of Registered Nutritionists and Dietitians to plan, present, produce, promote, organise, manage and conduct creative food clubs/classes/demonstrations after school or within the holiday and term breaks.

After School Afternoon Teas

Aimed at children between the ages of 9 to 13 year-olds.

As children grow, so do their nutritional needs. It is around this age, they will begin to increase their muscle and bone mass, and start to grow taller. To do so healthily, children will have increased requirements for various nutrients, especially calcium and iron. It is also around this time children start to choose and cook foods for themselves. So a healthy appetite for healthy nutritious food becomes progressively vital as they grow.

The Caroline Walker Trust aims to fund after school classes which support the adequate provision of foods suitable for healthy growth, as well as those that pass on age-appropriate nutrition and health information.

Snacking Sessions

Snacking sessions are aimed at 14 – 18-year olds.

Snacking in teenagers often exposes them to a host of problems associated with poor food availability and inappropriate selection. It is around this time, that teenagers often acquire a diet that is high in saturated fat, sugar and salt, as shown by UK national survey data. This eating pattern is mainly due to the increase in obesogenic environments where cheap takeaways frequently surround high schools and subsequently escalate nutritional problems and health inequalities. In a low socio-economic area, teenagers are also disproportionally overweight and more malnourished.*

Snacking sessions are essentially a drop-by style after school provision. Children walk through a dedicated area after school and pick up a snack that they assemble according to their food preferences. Snacking sessions can be a great way to introduce new snack foods, discover new ingredients and food combinations which can help to facilitate improved eating habits for teenagers.

The Caroline Walker Trusts aims to raise the standard of after school provision within the low socio-economic areas by funding Registered Nutritionists and Dietitians to organise and conduct after school snack drop-by demonstrations, sessions and meetings within after school clubs.

https://www.nhs.uk/news/obesity/children-poorer-backgrounds-more-affected-rise-childhood-obesity/.