Member Article

Last day to vote for County Durham charity in National Lottery Awards

North East-based quality assurance and accreditation provider, One Awards, is delighted that the Age UK County Durham’s community health education scheme, “Come Eat Together”, has been shortlisted from over 750 national projects to be a finalist in the National Lottery Awards Best Health Projects category. One Awards, who approved and accredited an innovative cookery course for the project, is urging people to vote now before the close at midnight tonight! (Wednesday 23 July).

Come Eat Together is a highly successful community scheme for the over 50s – and the only project of its kind in the UK that addresses joint issues of inadequate nutrition and social isolation in such an effective and innovative way. So far it has been piloted in Stanley, Shildon, Bishop Auckland and Durham.

According to Age UK research, one in eight people over 60 in County Durham are malnourished - while across the UK, over five million people consider the TV to be their main form of companionship.

If Come Eat Together wins the public vote it means older people in County Durham will continue to benefit from the scheme for many years to come and the North East based scheme could also be rolled out nationally.

The scheme was devised as a response to research on happiness and diet in older people, carried out in 2011 in Co Durham. It was launched in October 2013 and has now been so successful that it could be replicated throughout the UK.

Come Eat Together involves lots of different activities including: cookery demonstrations; stylish, fun dining at a variety of Co Durham restaurants; shopping clubs using accessible local transport; grow-your-own vegetable roadshows, tuition on shopping online and a popular “healthy cookery course for over 50s”.

For the course to be officially researched, written, approved and accredited, Age UK teamed up with One Awards (formerly known as OCN North East Region - OCNNER).

The course runs on a rolling programme of two hours per week for five weeks and was guided by Professor Paula Moynihan from the Institute of Ageing and Health at the University of Newcastle, a Registered Public Health Nutritionist and State Registered Dietician.

Margaret lives in East Stanley and takes part in the “Come Eat Together” Dining Circle in East Stanley. She thoroughly enjoyed the course and told us “I have learned all sorts of things from this course about the nutritional content of food. I loved tasting the different foods at the sessions and then trying out the recipes at home afterwards. I am also more aware of how to store food like rice and know why we must not store potatoes in the fridge. Everything was presented in a friendly and understandable way. Our group has gone on to set up a Mediterranean Cooking Club so we can cook healthy meals together.”

Louise Morritt, Chief Executive of One Awards says: “Come Eat Together is a great example of a volunteer peer support project that has successfully improved older people’s ability to access, cook and enjoy healthy food together. The integrated cookery course within the scheme has been very popular. Numbers are limited to around eight people so that it is truly interactive and people have an opportunity to socialise and ask questions as well as to learn how to cook simple new recipes with different ingredients.”

Harriet Gibbon, Chief Executive of Age UK County Durham said: “Come Eat Together provides a vital network which allows older people to live an independent and active lifestyle whilst improving their ability to access, grow, cook and enjoy healthy food together. We hope the public will recognize the work we carry out and vote for us to be named the UK’s Best Health Project.”

Come Eat Together needs your vote to help them win. People have until midnight tonight July 23 to register their vote. Vote here or call 0844 836 9699.

For more information about Come Eat Together go to comeeattogether.org

For more information about One Awards go to oneawards.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kate Slater .