Nibbles

Hugh’s a hero for Paisley students

The University of the West of Scotland is celebrating chef Hugh Edgar’s 20 years at the Paisley campus by naming him their local hero.

Hugh has been cooking delicious homemade food for as long as they can remember, and he’s seen plenty of changes over the years. Responding to changing tastes, the food he serves now is a lot healthier than it used to be, with sandwiches and baked potatoes replacing pastries and pies.

The campus gained the healthyliving award last year, and Hugh is delighted: “The award has opened everyone’s eyes to healthier eating, and gives the students more options and greater choice.”

News bites

Integrating health improvement in West Lothian

The Health Improvement Team in West Lothian is working hard to improve the wellbeing of local people. Based at the Strathbrock Partnership Centre. in Broxburn, they have a number of healthy eating initiatives on the go, working with local communities, businesses and organisations.

The aim of the West Lothian Health Improvement Team is to integrate health improvement and wellbeing, and address inequalities across West Lothian.

Rhonda Archibald, Food and Health Development Officer, told us about some of the work they are doing: “We currently offer training to help support local caterers to adapt and improve their menus.  We are encouraging all our leisure centres to work towards the healthyliving award, and we are also committed to supporting public buildings to achieve the award.

“We have recently commissioned a piece of research looking at the food served in community centres, with a view to supporting them to work towards the healthyliving award. We are meeting with the healthyliving award team to discuss how we can move this forward.”

The Health Improvement team is also developing a pilot initiative in partnership with West Lothian Council Environmental Health and local partners.  This initiative will work with local establishments, such as take-away restaurants, snack bars and chip shops, which do not feel ready to take all the steps to meet the criteria for the healthyliving award.  However, by improving the salt, fat, fibre and sugar content of their food on the whole, these establishments could make small but significant changes.  The hope is that this initiative will therefore provide a stepping stone to the national healthyliving award.

Rhonda continued: “These establishments are in contact with the communities we wish to reach, so the pilot will go further to include small but significant measures, including facilitating the promotion of breastfeeding and other health improvement activities and messages as well.”

Table talk

Healthyliving awards for North Lanarkshire Council country parks

The café facilities at Summerlee Heritage Centre, Drumpellier Country Park and Palacerigg Country Park were all recently presented with healthyliving awards.

Councillor Helen McKenna, Convener of North Lanarkshire Council’s Environmental Services committee, commented: “This is a mark of how much effort we put into our catering facilities.

“The food on offer in our cafés includes a great range of healthy options, and we work hard to let people know about them.

“We aim to make sure our customers can make good nutritional choices when they want to, and that’s what this award recognises. Well done to everyone in the team.”

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issue twenty-two:
May 2012
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The healthyliving awardNHS Health Scotland - Scotland's health improvement agencyHealthier Scotland - Scottish GovernmentHealthier Scotland - Scottish Government