TUCO chair Amanda Pettingill welcomed more than 100 TUCO members to this year’s Winter Conference, held at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester on January 14th.
The theme was ‘Wellbeing is Everybody’s Business’ and featured a series of talks from experts across the industry discussing how members can improve their student and employee wellbeing experience.
Dr Vincent Walsh, a farmer and prominent figure in the UK’s agriculture sector, kicked off the day by looking at designing regenerative environments and how members can apply those practices to their institutions.
The Mac Twins - Alana and Lisa Macfarlane from The Gut Stuff - followed with an insightful discussion on the importance of gut health, the impact that a bad gut can have on physical and mental health, and how TUCO members can influence the next generation of health through the nutritious food they provide UK students.
They highlighted the importance of fibre in our diets, citing that 28% of bowel cancer cases are caused by eating too little fibre. The presentation discussed ways in which simple food swaps can make a difference to our overall health.
After a lunch and a wander through the incredible Whitworth Art Gallery, David Titman and Jenna Mosimann of Raising Nutrition spoke on nutrition for now and food for the future.
Raising Nutrition is a social enterprise focused on changing our food environment so that healthier food choices are more available and affordable. A key takeaway was the fact that diet and nutrition is one of the most important factors in determining our health, yet nutrition is often under-valued and misunderstood.
The talk also focused on the importance of micronutrients in managing stress, further highlighting the key role food and diet can play in our mental health.
Then Tanya Ednan-Laperouse of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation discussed the life-changing importance of adhering to allergy legislation and how to support students with food allergies. She also gave an update on the directive of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and how institutions can access resources to support their students.
Annabel Hurst, head of catering, conferences and events at Cardiff University, then spoke to members about the university’s journey to rebuild after Covid and how their strategy had to be rethought to deliver the best catering experience for their students.
Closing the day was Martin Burder of the Art of Brilliance with an engaging session about Wellbeing Leadership, the mental fitness of leaders, as well as empowering teams through relationship building.
Following the conference members attended a social dinner at the Manchester Museum, the two events allowing members the opportunity to network with peers, discuss challenges faced by the industry, and arming them with ideas and inspiration to take back to their institutions.