I first discovered Eat Smart Sheffield back in 2020 as I was preparing to begin my Masters (MSc) in Nutrition with Public Health Management at Sheffield Hallam University. I saw a post on Facebook about a healthy packed lunch document and as I previously worked as a dental therapist, I have witnessed the impact that diet can have children’s oral health I am always interested to read any healthy eating recommendations for parents. When I read the document, I was very impressed with the level of detail and content within the guidance. I thought it explained all the points very clearly and was suitable for a wide audience and from a dental background, I loved that it didn’t encourage any sweet foods or drinks.

Once I started my studies, I learnt that I would be completing a module called ’Work Related Learning’ and as I knew that my goal was to pursue a career in children’s health and nutrition, I wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible from people within the field. I decided to approach Eat Smart Sheffield to find out if there were any opportunities for me to gain some experience around food education in schools. Lisa Aldwin, Programme Manager for Eat Smart Sheffield, was kind enough to offer her time and explain more about the programme. What I thought would be a quick initial chat to hear about the programme and how I could get involved turned into a one-hour conversation as Lisa had such a wealth of knowledge and we seemed to share very similar ideas on children’s health.

Lisa went into detail explaining to me about their partnership with Soil Association Food for Life and how the award system works, the training delivered to teachers and schools, the lessons and assemblies and as this was initially during the Covid-19 pandemic, I heard how Lisa had to adapt yet still offer support to settings through online webinars and workshops and creating resources for teachers to use.

We discussed the ways I could get involved and as it was not possible to visit any schools in person, it was decided that I could also create some resources which could be available for schools to access. This included making a video for parents based on the healthy packed lunch guidance, discussing the key components of a healthy packed lunch, the importance of certain nutrients, and some suggestions for reducing cost such as using leftovers. Alongside this, I developed an assembly presentation on breakfast which talked about why it is important and what foods we should be having and those we should have less frequently. To continue their learning, I created an activity sheet for children to take home which encouraged them to consider how they could make small changes to improve the nutritional quality of their breakfasts. All of these were tasks I had never attempted before, and this was a great opportunity for me to learn new skills.

Since graduating, I have been fortunate to remain in contact with Lisa who has offered me further support and guidance while I have been trying to find work as a nutritionist. As a registrant with the Association for Nutrition I have continued to look for ways that I can volunteer and gain additional experience to help with my portfolio. Lisa has been kind enough to allow me further opportunities to support Eat Smart Sheffield and develop my skills. I have attended a number of schools to deliver assemblies on healthy eating and sugar awareness to both key stage one and two. Lisa sent through the assembly and lesson plans beforehand to allow me time to practice. The resources were well designed and easy to use and engaging for the children who were excited to talk about the topics and had some great questions. These sessions allowed me to learn how to communicate healthy eating messages to children of various ages.

Having seen how Lisa creates presentations came in useful in my current job role as an Oral Health Improvement Practitioner where I have attended a number of events and delivered workshops for the Healthy Schools initiative in North Yorkshire. Having delivered assemblies for Eat Smart Sheffield and learning how to engage the children was extremely useful when developing my own resources and helped me to be more relaxed with a classroom of 30 children.

I think that the work being done by Lisa is wonderful for allowing children to learn more about food, where it comes from and how what we eat can affect the way we feel. I believe that when we get children interested and excited by food, they will be more open to experimenting and have more varied diets, which will in turn improve their health and wellbeing. However, we know that while it is important to educate the future generations, we also need to support families and the wider community further and this is where the workshops and webinars that Eat Smart Sheffield deliver can really help to spread the messages further and get families cooking and eating together.

I recently attended an interview for a nutritionist role working in school food and I was able to discuss my volunteering and demonstrate the knowledge I have gained. I was fortunate to be offered the job, and I am certain my experience with Eat Smart Sheffield helped to show I was suitable for the role. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had with Eat Smart Sheffield and for Lisa’s support and guidance. I feel very lucky to have met Lisa as she has been an incredible mentor over the past few years, and we continue to stay in touch.