Up to £20,000 is to be made available to help lower Suffolk children’s sugar intake.
Public Health Suffolk has joined with Suffolk Community Foundation to offer grant funding to support projects in the county which encourage a reduction in sugar intake and a healthier lifestyle for children and young people.
The funding encourages organisations working with or on behalf of children to develop projects to reduce sugar consumption. The grant is open to PTAs or friends groups at schools, as well as community groups such as Brownies and Scouts.
Each organisation will be able to bid for up to £1,000 out of the £20,000 Suffolk Sugar Reduction Fund total.
It comes after reports nationally said young people in the UK exceed the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old by the time they are 10.
James Reeder, cabinet member for health at Suffolk County Council, said: “Giving every child the best start in life is a key priority for Suffolk County Council and tackling childhood obesity is part of that.
“With this project we want to encourage organisations working with young people to reduce their sugar intake, through new and creative ideas.
“There are a number of services and programmes Suffolk County Council leads and supports to tackle childhood obesity, which include commissioning Onelife Suffolk’s Child weight management programme, encouraging schools to sign up to the Daily Mile campaign and encouraging businesses to promote healthier food and drink options to their customers through the Eat out Eat Well award.
“To bring about long-term change, we must take a whole system approach to obesity, working closely with partners and organisations who work directly with young people.”
Public Health Suffolk is already working with OneLife Suffolk and Ormiston Sudbury Academy on a health promotion campaign designed to promote ways to reduce sugar consumption in food and drinks.
The campaign encourages children to make ‘sugar swaps’ recording where they have swapped a sugary food or drink for a healthier option in a sugar swap diary.
OneLife Suffolk is supporting the project, offering free workshops for those taking part, to help identify different ways of reducing sugar intake and to help kick start projects to improve the health and wellbeing of their pupils and staff.
Andrea Pittock, Head of Grant Programmes at Suffolk Community Foundation, said: “Suffolk Community Foundation is really pleased to be part of this new initiative which is supporting young people to take responsibility and action to help reduce their sugar intake, this will help to give them a better start in life.”
For further information, call 01473 602602 or visit www.suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/sugar-reduction-fund/
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