Five local residents have completed a six-week Healthy Families Programme at Ditton Community Centre, thanks to funding from our Destination Kingsway and Stewards programme.

Delivered by local social enterprise Educate Your Plate CIC throughout June and July, the programme was designed to help participants build healthier lifestyles through practical nutrition education, cooking skills, behaviour change support and peer encouragement. 

The programme was developed in response to local insight gathered through the Destination Kingsway and Stewards project. Community feedback identified health and wellbeing activities as one of the key priorities residents would like to see more of in their neighbourhoods, while local area data highlighted significant health inequalities, including lower life expectancy, higher rates of poor health and childhood obesity compared to national averages. 

Over six weekly sessions, participants explored a range of topics including healthy habits and goal setting, understanding ultra-processed foods, hidden sugars and food labels, feeding a family on a budget, metabolism and blood sugar management, gut health, disease prevention and brain health. 

The programme was adapted throughout delivery to reflect participant interests, with attendees particularly keen to learn more about the science behind nutrition and what happens inside the body. Alongside the educational workshops, participants received weekly recipe cards, ingredient packs to recreate recipes at home and access to a dedicated WhatsApp support group where they could share progress, ask questions and encourage one another between sessions. 

To help remove barriers to making healthier choices, we also provided bespoke support packs tailored to each participant's individual needs. Depending on their circumstances, these included items such as food scales, body weight scales, Ninja choppers and other kitchen equipment, as well as ingredients for recipes used during the course. 

Upon completion, participants received certificates recognising their achievements, further cooking equipment to support them in maintaining the healthy habits they had developed, and shopping vouchers to purchase any additional kitchen items they needed. 

The programme achieved excellent outcomes, with 100% of participants reporting increased knowledge of healthy eating and nutrition, greater confidence in making healthier choices and positive lifestyle changes within their households. 

Every participant completed the programme and rated it 5 out of 5, with all attendees saying they would recommend it to friends and family. One participant also shared what they thought of the programme:

"I went into this course for healthy living advice and wasn't looking for a way to lose weight I just wanted to be more healthy. I'm now feeling healthier, happier and less stressed... and the weight is moving! I can't thank you enough. I’m well on my way to a new healthy and happy me". 

Georgina Crank, Social Impact and Engagement Officer at Halton Housing, said: 

"One of the key aims of Destination Kingsway and Stewards is to respond directly to what residents tell us matters most to them. Through our community engagement and local insight work, we identified a clear opportunity to support residents with health and wellbeing activities. It has been fantastic to see participants embrace the programme, build their confidence and make positive changes that will benefit both themselves and their families long after the sessions have finished. We'd like to thank Karis for delivering such an engaging and impactful programme." 

Residents interested in starting their own health and wellbeing journey can also look out for Educate Your Plate's National Lottery-funded Women's Health & Longevity Programme, with a new cohort due to start on 19th August. 

For more information and upcoming opportunities, keep an eye on the Educate Your Plate Facebook page