Birmingham schools celebrate their commitment to health and wellbeing

Primary school pupils from across the region have come together to celebrate and share their initiatives and ideas for healthier lifestyles, as a result of taking part in the Health for Life programme.

Students and teachers, from eight schools, currently participating in the Health for Life initiative met at St. Andrew’s Stadium to demonstrate the wide-ranging and sustainable activities around growing food, healthy eating and exercise, that they have developed since joining the scheme last autumn.

Children at New Oscott Primary School in Sutton Coldfield showcased their new cooking skills by creating homemade pancakes with a sweet and savoury twist for other students and teachers to enjoy, which included flavours including strawberry and vanilla, raisin and lemon and cheese and chive.

Meanwhile pupils at Penns Primary School put other students to the test on their food and nutrition knowledge by encouraging them to match up the missing nutritional values on a range of spaghetti bolognese jar sauces. The hands-on activity aimed to highlight the high fat, sugar and salt quantities in pre-made sauces and promote the health benefits of making homemade, healthy sauces from scratch.

Pupils from Grestone Academy used the celebration event to show off their new favourite physical activities which included skipping, badminton and hula hooping, and other students brought along examples of the fruit, vegetables and herbs they have grown at school.

A smoothie bike was also available for children from all schools to try out, inviting them to pedal and generate power to blend a healthy mixed berry smoothie to enjoy.

The Health for Life programme supports activities that engage pupils, school staff and families in growing food, healthy eating and cookery and physical activity, enabling schools to make a wide range of sustainable changes – some of which have included opportunities for the whole family to get involved.

Health for Life was introduced by Mondelēz International in 2011 and has now involved 211 schools across the city and, alongside additional activities offered in the community, has reached more than 242,200 children and adults in Birmingham. With an investment of over £4.8m from the business to-date, the initiative is delivered in partnership with Services For Education and The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).

Kelly Farrell, community affairs manager at Mondelēz International, commented: “Our annual Health for Life celebration event is always an enjoyable and rewarding way to see and celebrate what pupils and staff have achieved through the programme, both at school and home.

“We’re extremely proud that the Health for Life programme continues to support changes which inspire pupils, teachers and parents to develop and lead healthier lifestyles.”

Helen Grundy, education adviser at Services For Education, added: “We’re very proud of all the pupils who have taken part in the programme. It’s wonderful to see the positive difference Health for Life continues to make at schools across Birmingham, and it’s brilliant to share and showcase their achievements at this celebration event.”

For more information on the Health for Life programme, please visit www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/health-for-life/, and for further details on Mondelēz International, head to www.mondelezinternational.com/.