Lottery funding helps families with cooking skills

The award announcement of over £400,000 comes from BIG's Family Learning programme which brings together grandparents, parents, carers and children from disadvantaged areas to learn new skills and learn from each other. Ashlyns Organics Ltd will use its £419,576 award for its Can Cook Will Cook project to work with families who have poor basic skills or other social disadvantages. Workshops will develop skills in numeracy and literacy while sharing knowledge about cookery and nutrition. Professional chefs will lead cookery courses in a fully certified training kitchen on an open farm, in schools and at community venues. The chefs will work with families to plan and prepare nutritionally balanced meals, including vegetarian, Halal and kosher. The rural Essex project's partners, including Essex Rural Community Council (ERCC), Essex Foster Carers Council, Essex County Council and Mid Essex Primary Care Trust, have provided additional funding totalling £100,050. Gary Stokes, Project Director at Ashlyns Organics Ltd, said: "Food is such a basic fundamental need that gets neglected and abused with severe consequences. We aim to change people's perceptions and encourage them to enjoy cooking for the benefit of future generations."