Healthy-eating scheme will be rolled out at overweight Haggerston estate
Fellows Court Estate has one of the highest levels of obesity in the country - Credit: Archant
A healthy eating initiative is looking to raise £16,000 so it can roll out its first batch of recipe kits on an overweight Haggerston estate.
Social enterprise Make Kit was formed on the back of research by the Healthy London Partnership showing one in three children in the capital are overweight before reaching secondary school age.
Experts found cost was the biggest barrier to eating well, along with the knowledge of how to cook.
And the problem is worse than average in Hackney, where 41 per cent of 10- to 11-year-olds weigh too much. One of the areas with the highest obesity levels in the country was the Fellows Court Estate.
The report found youngsters there believed unhealthy food was “cooler” and many were unwilling, or not allowed, to travel to the other side of the borough for activities for fear of being attacked.
Parents also said they were unaware of council-run leisure projects. So where better for the team at Make Kit to launch theirs?
Food businesswoman Justine Fish and chef Steve Wilson founded the project, with backing from the Healthy London Partnership and Hackney Council.
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Justine said: “We really believe our project has the potential to radically change the food culture of the UK and from the response we’ve received so far, it seems that lots of other people do too.”
Before they can get started, the pair need to raise money for a three-month trial.
With £16,000 they can give out more than 500 recipe kits and carry out detailed behaviour change analysis with 15 Fellows Court families. Every £1 donated will be match-funded by the partnership.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so here.
Families wishing to take part in the trial can call Justine on 07920 097 772.
