A sample training for trainers project

'Cooking From Scratch For Key Workers' was a series of courses that equipped workers to teach and integrate healthy eating initiatives into their workplace.

Partners:
NHS Bristol
Bristol City Council Food Safety Team

The Brief
To develop and deliver a 6-week cookery skills course and user- friendly resource pack for key community workers who work largely with the more vulnerable service users/client groups and communities in Bristol.

This 'train the trainers' approach was established both to build more sustainability into the programme and to enable the working group on this project and the participants to reach a much wider audience.

What We Did

• Promoted awareness of healthy eating recommendations and the ability to direct clients to appropriate sources of information.
• Instilled the necessary skills and confidence to equip participants to deliver cooking classes.
• Designed and produced a user-friendly informative resource pack to be used as a toolkit for future cooking and healthy eating work.
• Targeted and promoted the course to organisations working with vulnerable individuals and communities.
• Promoted good hygiene practice in the kitchen with an optional CIEH Level 1 Food Safety Awareness Award delivered by The Food Safety Team.

The Results
Over an 18-month period 53 Key community workers were trained and completed the course, including a Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Level 1 Food Safety Awareness Certificate.

A follow-up evaluation demonstrated that the workers are using the resource pack and skills they gained whilst attending the course.

Awards
Cooking From Scratch was instrumental in Bristol City Council's Food Safety Team receiving The National Food Champion Award 2009 from The Food Standards Agency in recognition of its work improving community diet and nutrition.