Food Standards Agency
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Listen to this siteThursday 10 March 2005
Ref: 2005/0564
The Food Standards Agency today announced the first two winners of the Dame Sheila McKechnie Award. The Buttershaw 'Eatwise' Project in Bradford and 'Get Fresh' in Dorset were selected from over forty applications across the UK and will receive their awards at the FSA's Board Meeting in Edinburgh on the 10 March.
The FSA established the annual community food initiative awards in September 2004 to commemorate the contribution that Dame Sheila McKechnie made in helping to set up the Food Standards Agency.
Sheila McKechnie was a lifelong consumer champion, having previously been Director of Shelter and later Consumer's Association (now Which?).
Both winners were selected from a shortlist of six projects and were considered to provide particularly special food initiatives to their local communities. They will receive £15,000 each over a three-year period (£5,000 each year) to help fund and further develop their projects.
The panel of judges included the Food Standards Agency's Deputy Chair Julia Unwin, Professor Tim Lang (on behalf of Sustain) and broadcaster Jon Snow (Channel 4 News).
FSA Deputy Chair Julia Unwin said: 'Sheila was an outspoken campaigner who worked incredibly hard to champion the rights of consumers to tackle the problems of poverty.
'She would have been particularly proud to see her name associated with the Buttershaw 'Eatwise' and Dorset 'Get Fresh' Projects, as she was passionate about providing food access and food education for all.
The panel and the Food Standards Agency would like to congratulate the two winners and wish them continuing success with their projects.'
Back to topThe Buttershaw Estate in South Bradford is an area of high deprivation where residents are likely to be benefit dependent, unemployed and experience health problems.
For the past 13 years the Buttershaw Baptist Church has successfully run a family centre providing a community café and food co-op for the local residents that sells good quality food at reasonable prices. The centre also holds a number of cookery sessions focusing on issues such as managing a healthy diet on a limited budget, food preparation and food hygiene.
Over the next three years, the Dame Sheila McKechnie Award will ensure that these services continue to run and develop further. Future plans include educating children and young adults on the importance of a healthy diet and exercise and expanding its current cookery classes.
Mark Phillips, Manager of the Buttershaw Estate Family Centre will be accepting the award for the Eatwise Project.
Back to topThe 'Get Fresh' Project, which is run by the Dorset Food and Health Trust, was set up to combat diet-related illnesses within Dorset.
They currently run cookery workshops, 'Grow It, Cook It, Eat It' and a 'Get Fresh' project that sources local food and produce and sells it onto rural communities at affordable prices.
The Dame Sheila McKechnie Award will help the Trust to further improve 'Get Fresh' by helping towards the costs of running a delivery van and by allowing a subsidy of 20% on all fruit and veg.
There are also plans to focus on teaching single men and young parents basic cookery skills and to educate children on food issues, ensuring that they understand where the food on their plate comes from.
The Dorset Food and Health Trust will work with various rural communities over the next three years, including North and East Dorset and Purbeck, ensuring that the project becomes more sustainable and self financing.
Sam Mitchell, Director of the Trust, will be receiving the award for the 'Get Fresh' Project.
Back to topFor further information or an interview with an award winner and a spokesperson from the FSA, please contact Sarah Read on 020 7276 8888.
Back to topWho was Dame Sheila McKechnie?
Sheila McKechnie was instrumental in lobbying Government to establish an agency that would genuinely �put consumers first� and allay consumer concern about a range of food related issues.
She was one of the most effective and influential consumer campaigners of her generation and helped to define the consumer movement not only in the UK but also across Europe. Sheila was awarded an OBE in 1995 for services to housing and the homeless, and made a Dame in 2001 for services to consumers.
Sheila died on 2 January 2004, aged 55, after a long battle with cancer. The Agency wished to commemorate Sheila�s memory by developing an award in her name.
What is this award?
The Board of the Food Standards Agency decided in 2004 to commemorate the contribution that Dame Sheila McKechnie made in helping set up the Agency by running annual awards for community food initiatives. The awards are available to any community food initiative in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What happens after the 3 years?
The Agency will work in partnership with the two successful initiatives to evaluate the chosen schemes and make these findings available to other community food initiatives.
How do community food initiatives apply for the award?
Applications for the award can be made between September and December every year. Application forms and information on the award process will be available on this website in advance.
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Room 245 Aviation House,
125 Kingsway,
London WC2B 6NH
Telephone: 020 7276 8888
Out of hours duty pager: 07623 978344
Fax: 020 7276 8833
Email:
press.mailbox@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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