Finsbury Park, healthy eating, London Borough of Haringey, patient care, Rainbow Theatre,
Tuesday 24th March 2015
The Healthy Eating on a Budget seminar held at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park last Saturday (21 March) was a roaring success. The event drew an audience of 250, mainly from north London. Such was their thirst for information and individual healthcare guidance that it overran its allotted time by an hour.
The event was organised by the UCKG HelpCentre’s Patient Care Group (PCG) in response to popular demand, with three guest speakers: Haringey health trainer, Janine Chin Saunders, NHS specialist dietitian Bethan Morris and fitness instructor Omar Beccato from Fit & Fun.
Between them, the three dealt with how to eat healthily, getting the right balance, choosing healthier meal options and alternative foods that help to keep you within your budget. In addition, a number of NHS professionals were on hand to provide free health checks.
These were particularly popular with the audience because of the difficulty many Londoners have in getting a doctor’s appointment for a check up. Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to have their BMI rating calculated and explained to them, while the dieticians helped people to create their own healthier diets.
Bethan Morris said: “By sharing practical healthy eating advice in a community forum, we health care professionals can support people to make positive healthy dietary changes. This could reduce people’s risk of certain diseases and could reduce pressure on the NHS.”
Janine Chin-Saunders was touched by the professionalism of the staff at the event and the enthusiasm of the people who came to learn. She claimed: “I, too, have learned how to eat healthy on a budget”.
Omar Beccato said: “The audience responded well to all the speakers especially during the practical fitness exercises”. He added that he is happy to take part in future presentations at the Rainbow Theatre and said: “it was a pleasure to work alongside other professionals for the benefit of the community”.
The leader of PCG, Agnes Musikavanhu concluded: “This was a good, fruitful event. Most people I spoke to described the information as an eye opener and many were keen to learn their BMI* after this was explained and discussed at the event.”
The UCKG HelpCentre is most grateful to everyone who assisted with the running of the event and is looking to organise follow up events on this same subject.
ENDS
Notes to editors
*Body mass index (BMI) gives an approximate indication of whether someone is over or under weight, calculated on the basis of their height and weight.
UCKG is a Christian church and registered charity that offers a range of practical support activities alongside spiritual support and comfort and welcomes all-comers. It reached the UK in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength, providing support and spreading the Christian faith. There are UCKG HelpCentre branches in England and Wales.
Patient Care Group is an initiative of the UCKG HelpCentre that operates from the flagship branch in Finsbury Park and a number of other branches. It comprises generous minded volunteers who are available to lessen the burden of illness on patients and their families. On request, the volunteers make regular visits to patients in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes or their own homes and are there for patients’ families if required.
For further information please contact the UCKG HelpCentre Press Officer via e-mail on press@uckgnew.org or direct line 020 7686 6033.
