Introducing IMPACT's Tasty Team!

The Tasty Team Characters

Mrs O’Neill, Head of Blackwell School, East Grinstead:
“The opportunities IMPACT has provided have been an invaluable
asset to Blackwell School. We are thrilled with the activities
and support – it has certainly moved the school
community forward in many ways”.

Shelia Kerr, Head of Gattons Infants School:
"All our children have been involved in tasty eating sessions, learning
about healthy lunchboxes, breakfast and snacks in a practical way.
They have had great fun and tried new foods as well as
learning about a healthy balanced diet”.

There are three members of the IMPACT Tasty Team; each one represents a different element within this exciting and innovative project.

Firstly we have our apple chef…

Tasty Team Apple logo

Through taking part in the various cooking sessions that are run, both pupils and parents learn basic cookery techniques, improve their confidence in the kitchen and also further their knowledge of sound nutrition. In the past we have run separate pupil sessions (as an after school club) and parent only sessions. In 2010 we will also be running joint pupil and parent sessions. We are hopeful that through learning together families will go onto cook together!

As well as the cooking sessions we also run fun and interactive Tasty Sessions at each participating school. Our volunteers take a class of pupils at a time and during a 45 minute session the pupils taste lots of different foods and through active learning take on-board important nutrition messages. There are five different themed sessions: lunch boxes, snacks, breakfast, drinks and salads. We aim to run at least one of the themes at each participating school each term.

Then we have our potato gardener. As you can see he is waving a handful of carrots that he has grown…

Tasty Team Potato logo

Growing fruit and vegetables is fun and rewarding. Through the IMPACT Tasty Team project we help pupils grow a variety of produce in raised beds within the school grounds. We come in and build the beds and then provide free seeds and cuttings.

Pupils visit the beds on a regular basis with an IMPACT Garden Mentor who throughout the summer months helps the pupils grow produce such as potatoes, peas, carrots, spinach, beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes and a whole lot more.

The pupils thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to plant seeds and cuttings and care for them as they grow. Best of all is when they can pick the fruit and vegetables and take them home to eat!

Children growing vegetables
Credit: C. Chelmick

Next we have our tomato fruit and vegetable stall holder. As you can she is holding a set of scales on which to weigh her produce for sale…

Tasty Team Tomato logo
Through the IMPACT Tasty Team project we encourage participating schools to establish weekly mini fruit and vegetable stalls. Manned by volunteers, the stalls are able to sell produce, which is sourced from a local fruit and vegetables wholesaler, at cost price. This means that top quality produce is sold at prices lower than local supermarkets.

By making tasty produce more affordable, the stalls enable parents to include more fruits and vegetables in their and their children’s daily diet. As well establishing the link between the school and the wholesaler, the IMPACT Tasty Team also provides electronic scales, banners, money box (with float) and all the other items that are needed for the smooth running of the stall.

Background to the project

Women making soup
Credit: C. Chelmick

Problems in the UK associated with poor diets and a lack of exercise are well known. Rapidly rising obesity levels in both children and adults will have long-term negative implications on the nation’s health. Associated conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are also increasing and putting further pressure on the health services within the country.

To combat this there is a variety of information and associated promotional campaigns in the media concerning healthy eating. Examples include the government campaign to increase people’s intake of fruit and vegetables with the aim being that people consume at least 5-a-day.

IMPACT though has found that it is not a lack of knowledge or awareness that is preventing people from improving their eating habits. The government campaigns do reach people and they do take onboard the messages. It is a combination of other factors that prevent people from taking action to improve their diets:

Lack of practical skills, whether they be cooking or gardening
Low levels of confidence in the kitchen or garden
Restricted access to fresh produce through cost or transport constraints
No suitable ground on which to grow fresh produce

Since its launch in 2008 the IMPACT Tasty Team has been tackling these factors ‘head-on’. Through participation in three different elements of the IMPACT Tasty team project pupils, parents and teachers of primary schools in Crawley and Mid Sussex have been helped to make important changes to their diets and eating habits.

The participating schools so far have been:

Gattons Infants, Burgess Hill
Sheddingdean Primary, Burgess Hill
Blackwell Primary, East Grinstead
Heyworth Primary, Haywards Heath
Handcross Primary

And the following Crawley schools:

Bewbush Primary
Broadfield East Infant and Junior
Langley Green Primary
Manor Green Primary
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary
Seymour Primary
Waterfield Primary

Another 12 schools are currently being targeted to take part in the project up to the end of this academic year, July 2010.

Over the course of the project the participation numbers have been very encouraging:

• 671 school pupils participated in four week after-school ‘Get Cooking’ sessions

• 1,095 primary age pupils participated in growing fruit & vegetables in their school gardens

• 4,200 primary age pupils participated in fun and interactive food tasting sessions

• ‘Mini fruit & vegetable stalls’ were held each week at five of the participating schools during term time

• 225 mums and dads participated in five week ‘Get Cooking’ courses

Through engaging in these projects, participants are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence to make positive and sustainable changes to their health and lifestyles. Adopting a whole school approach means active participation from everyone including pupils, parents and teachers who all learn and develop their knowledge around their diets.

Volunteering for the IMPACT Tasty Team

We are always looking to recruit new volunteers for all aspects of this action. Volunteers can commit as much time as they like, full training is provided for each role and we pay all travelling and out of pocket expenses.

- We need volunteers to lead Get Cooking sessions with both pupils and parents in schools and local community centres.

- We need people who will help to run the mini fruit and vegetable stalls in schools.