Isle of Wight Healthy Eating Alliance

The main aim of the Alliance

The IWHEA has a main aim to promote and enable healthy eating for all households on the Isle of Wight and support Island producers and food retailers to improve access to affordable, fresh and local foods. It is a true partnership including partnerships and community representatives working together. The active involvement of lay people in the IWHEA has ensured a rich network of people working together to reach into the heart of the Island’s communities. With over 100 members the IWHEA can draw on an excellent range of skills and knowledge to deliver effective and targeted programmes.

Ideas into Action

eating an appleIWHEA has always turned ideas into action and this has included shopping basket, food intake and school meals surveys, responding to consultations, development and co-ordination of projects including community 5 A Day programme in partnership with the PCT.
In 2006 the IWHEA received a Caroline Walker Award for Community Groups. For the past two years they have celebrated good practice on the Island with their own Awards

MAKING THE ISLE OF WIGHT A FOOD ISLAND

Write up from the Workshop Session at the IWHEA Awards on 30 November 2007, led by Sara Ellis Co-ordinator, Isle of Wight Healthy Eating Alliance and Dr Martin Caraher, Reader in Food and Health Policy, City University, London

This document can be downloaded directly from here


Isle of Healthy Eating Alliance Awards

Who is involved?

Steering Group

 Drawn from members of the IWHEA, last year comprised Healthy Schools Lead Officer, Community Chef’s, School Meals Contract management officer and IWHEA co-ordinator. Their role is to set criteria, raise sponsorship, appoint and organise judges, organise Awards celebration, and promotion (the last is a huge task!)

Sponsors

local businesses and organisations which support the Awards financially, who can help set entrant criteria, and encourage entries but have no other part in the process or judging. Last year, these included an organic grower, local wholesale and retail butcher, Healthy Schools, Rotary Club, training companies, local MP and school meals provider.

Judges

Entries are submitted on paper, photographs and by DVD. The judges’ task is to scrutinize these against the criteria using a scoring system. It is useful to have judges from a wide range of backgrounds. This year they included a manager from a voluntary sector environmental project, an older person who is also a parish councillor, a young person from a High School council, a workplace restaurant manager/chef who had previously won an Award.The judges are chaired by the Children’s Trust Development Advisor who is a real champion of all the IWHEA’s work. They were scrutinised by an independent observer from the Law Centre.. Previous judges have become sponsors for the next years Awards.

Entrants: The most important group of all!


Encouraging entries is a very large task and locking into various networks to promote the Awards is important to establish early on. In 2007 Awards were made in 8 classes: Isle of Wight Council Early Years Award, Pabulum Award for Schools, Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food Steering Group Award for School Catering Supervisors, Islecare Balanced Nutrition Award for Residential and Nursing Homes, Pure Training and Consultancy Caring in Action Award for Community Groups, Hamilton’s Fine Foods Local Produce Award, HTP Award for Business Hospitality and IWHEA Award for Outstanding Contribution.

 Awards Celebration

A mission behind the Awards is to reward and value the unsung heroes of promotion of healthy eating. To achieve this all entrants are invited to the Awards Celebration. The Awards Celebration is a black tie optional reception; in 2007 the winners were announced at a Celebration Event at the Royal London Yacht Club in Cowes on 30 November.
The evening was hosted by former chair of the Local Authority Caterers Association, Irene Carroll. It was attended by Andrew Turner MP, Cllr Alan Wells – cabinet member for Children and Young People, and Dr Jenifer Smith – Director of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer.
An interactive session led by Dr Martin Caraher, reader in Food and Health Policy at City University, London, led guests to consider planning how the Island would manage food in the event of Pandemic Flu or a fuel strike, and looking to develop a holistic approach to food and health for the whole island.

2007 Winners were

  • Isle of Wight Council Early Years Award
    Ryde Sure Start Childrens Centre
  • Pabulum Award for Schools
    Runner up: Arreton St Georges Primary School
    Winner: Shalfleet CE Primary School, Station Rd
  • Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food Steering Group Award for School Catering Supervisors
    Runner up: Alison Michalski – Medina House School
    Winner: Jennie Pritchett – Somerton Middle School
  • Islecare Balanced Nutrition Award for Residential and Nursing Homes
    Runner up: Inver House, Bembridge
    Winner: Clifton House, Cowes
  • Pure Training and Consultancy Caring in Action Award for Community Groups
    Runner up: Carisbrooke Cooks
    Winner: Wroxall Parents Group
  • Hamilton’s Fine Foods Local Produce Award
    Runner up: St Helen’s Restaurant and Bar
    Winner: Farmer Jacks
  • HTP Award for Business: Hospitality
    Runner up: The Royal Hotel
    Winner: St Helen’s Restaurant and Bar
  • IWHEA Award for Outstanding Contribution
    this award is made by IWHEA members
    Daphne Birkwood

All Award winners receive specially commissioned IW Glass.

For more information contact Sara Ellis – sara.ellis@iwrcc.org.uk tel: 01983 524058