- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Healthy Families Way Of Life
- Release date:
- 13 5 2008
A range of projects funded throughout Wales will tackle the escalating problem of childhood obesity head on, thanks to a cash injection of over £6.3 million announced today by the Big Lottery Fund.
Fourteen projects the length and breadth of the country are benefiting from the £6,378,393 awarded under Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) Way of Life (WOL) initiative, which aims to develop new and innovative ways of promoting healthy eating, activity and play among children through projects that involve the whole family.
Childhood obesity has been one of the most worrying health trends in Wales over the last decade, with more children overweight than ever before. WOL aims to combat childhood obesity by using three different models, which the successful projects will use to deliver the programme. These are the Healthy Friends, Healthy Places and Healthy Home Tutors models.
The Healthy Friends Model aims to increase healthy eating and physical activity by using older children as mentors for younger children. Adult mentors, parents, carers and guardians will support them. Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids Club (awarded £425,797) in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales and Torfaen County Borough Council (awarded £492,273) in South East Wales are the organisations who will be piloting projects under this model.
The Healthy Home Tutors model aims to increase healthy eating and physical activity by delivering advice and support programmes for children and their families. Conwy County Borough Council (awarded £490,243) in North Wales and the Bryncynon Community Revival Strategy Ltd (awarded £493,321) in Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taff, are among the range of organisations delivering projects under this model.
The Healthy Places model aims to increase healthy eating and physical activity through engaging and interesting community activities and events. It places an increased emphasis on nutrition, physical activity and children’s play in target communities. The Ceredigion Local Health Board (awarded £454,803) in Ceredigion and Denbighshire County Council (awarded £338,173) in North Wales will deliver projects under this model by organising a range of healthy eating and exercise festivals in the community.
Successful applicants will now be supported by health and nutrition experts, Hall Aitken, through a variety of media including workshops, one-to-one advice, regular project visits, cross-project action learning sets, web-based support and a helpline. Funded projects will collect information and data on their activities and each of the delivery models will be assessed for effectiveness, sustainability and transferability. Working together, Hall Aitken and BIG will identify good practice and spread learning across Wales and further a field.
WOL is one of two strands under BIG’s £20 million Healthy Families programme and it compliments the second ‘Child’s Play’ strand, which is spending the remaining £13 million on building the play parks and putting in equipment to support the development of children’s play in Wales, and creating new play initiatives.
Highlighting the importance of the projects, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member and Chair of the Healthy Families Committee, Graham Benfield, said: “These projects have identified gaps in provision and will take forward new initiatives that will tackle the escalating problem of childhood obesity in Wales.
“Childhood obesity is a major worry facing both families and the government in Wales and our consultation has shown that negative influences on childhood lifestyle are best tackled through an approach that seeks to link physical activity and nutrition. Existing evidence also shows that projects that tackle these issues by involving the whole family are more successful and that’s why the Big Lottery Fund developed the Healthy Families programme.”
Download a full list of projects funded today (Word document)
- 38KB
For further information about the Big Lottery Fund and how your group can apply for funding, log onto the Big Lottery Fund website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the ‘Wales’ specific search facility. Alternatively, you can telephone the Big Lottery Fund office on 01686 611 700.
To find out more about interview, photo and filming opportunities, see information below and contact Oswyn Hughes at the Big Lottery Fund press office by email - oswyn.hughes@biglotteryfund.org.uk or on the numbers included at the end of the release.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office – Oswyn Hughes: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760 171 431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.
Notes to Editors:
- In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out close to £1 million a week in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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