An Introduction to the Happy Jack project

Happy Jack is a healthy eating initiative, funded by Surestart, and established in March 2004. It is based within Edinburgh's 12 Children and Family Centres, which are nurseries in some of the city's most disadvantaged areas. Happy Jack aims to overcome the barriers to healthy eating experienced by families attending the centres.

A vital method for improving diet is the provision affordable, high quality fruit to families. Each week the project provides free fruit to children, who range from four months to five years. Youngsters receive both a daily fruit snack and five pieces of fruit to take home each week. In an average week, we issue 1400 fruit portions and more than 2200 pieces to take home, to just under 450 children.

The project also provides many of the same families with subsidised fruit through fruit stalls operated by the centres. Centres are free to choose from a wide range of fruit ranging from apples and pears to Kiwi fruit and mangoes. Cucumbers and tomatoes are also available. Fruit is now a staple food within Centres and fruit consumption is routine. By providing daily access to fruit for the children and offering bags for sale at affordable prices, the children are getting the nutritional benefits of fruit whilst acquiring the taste for it, which we hope will stay with them into adult life

The project also promotes the extensive use of fresh fruit and vegetables at family mealtimes by providing courses in basic cookery for parents who are under-confident or inexperienced in the kitchen. The courses stress the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet as well as providing advice on hygiene, feeding a family on a budget, and reading food labels to help make informed choices about nutrition.

Healthy eating and cooking centred activities can allow parents to gain a real sense of achievement and aside from practical skills, some people simply appreciate the opportunity to be a little creative. Evaluation has shown that some see a benefit of the course as having the space to talk, or ´switch off´. Attending a cookery session can also be a positive social experience where friendships are sometimes formed resulting in an increase in self-esteem and a feeling of being valued.

In order to help staff at the centres promote healthy eating messages and practices, a fruit- and vegetable-based activity pack has been issued to all centres. Based around seasonal recipes and activities, it is designed for staff to use with the children throughout the year. The focus is on making fruit and vegetable tasting and play a fun activity.

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Useful websites

www.healthyliving.gov.uk Scottish website on healthy eating which provides information such as healthy recipes, advice and guidance about healthy eating and a questionnaire to measure how healthy your diet is

www.scotland.gov.uk/ Scottish Executive website with information about Scottish health and food and health

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/ City of Edinburgh Council website which details information on the Children and Family Centres if you follow the links into Social Work then Children, Young People and families

www.dancebase.co.uk website for Scotlands national centre for dance. Their outreach projects involve the Children and Family Centres

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/bookstart/ website puts books into the hands of babies and their families. Parents receive a free book bag containing 2 books, nursery rhymes and an invitation to join the local library at their babys 4 month health visitor check.