Healthy food schemes
Some of Scotland’s poorest communities have benefited from a cash boost to tackle the barriers to a healthy diet.
The Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP), a Scottish Executive funded initiative, has awarded 55 grants totalling just over £75,000 to projects across the length and breadth of Scotland.
The SCDP was inundated with a record 186 applications this year for grants of up to £3,000 for healthy eating projects ranging from growing schemes, cooking clubs, community cafes to healthy food delivery schemes.
Many communities in Scotland face challenges to a healthy diet caused by factors such as location, limited availability of affordable healthy food, lack of food preparation skills and equipment, and cultural barriers.
The SCDP supports low income communities to tackle these barriers in a number of ways from small grant giving to running training and networking events.
Knowetop Community Farm in West Dunbartonshire received a SCDP small grant this year and is one of many projects working hard within the area to promote the benefits of healthy eating.
The Dumbarton-based farm, which works with disadvantaged people, is using the grant to prepare ’Roots and Fruit’ boxes, containing fruit and vegetables, to home deliver to individuals or families on low incomes in the Castlehill and Brucehill areas.
Project co-ordinator Eleanor Mitchell said: “As there are no shops which sell fresh fruit and vegetables in the targeted local areas, this is a good way of helping people access healthy food and enjoy the benefits of having an improved diet.”
Another to benefit from the SCDP’s small grant scheme is The Furniture Project based in Stranraer, which is planning to provide a healthy diet for its male volunteers who come from difficult circumstances.
The project, which collects waste furniture and runs a low cost removal service, is offering chilled water, fresh fruit and vegetables, to the volunteers to promote healthy eating.
Three people will also sign up to a programme which requires them to fill in a questionnaire at quarterly intervals to gauge whether or not the healthy options offered by the Furniture Project has had an affect on other areas of their diet.
Since the SCDP small grants scheme was launched in 1997 over £400,000 in grants have been awarded to community groups in Scotland.
Bill Gray, the SCDP’s National Project Officer, said: “These small grants often make a big difference to communities who use them to kick start or support imaginative projects which promote healthy eating.”
“The projects have a positive impact on communities, increasing confidence, raising awareness around food and the environment, encouraging exercise and developing new skills, as well as contributing to availability and affordability of healthy food.”
Scotland’s food and health co-ordinator Gillian Kynoch said: “Projects like these, backed by the Scottish Community Diet Project annual grant scheme, go a long way to provide practical support to people who want to or are trying to improve their diet and lead a healthier lifestyle.”
