A community fund set up to support local projects has enabled a charity to run a cookery course for parents of children with additional needs in Richmondshire and Hambleton.
Parents and Carers of Special Children (POSCH) were successful in their application to Broadacres’ Community Development Fund.
The panel, which is made up entirely of Broadacres’ customers, approved funding of £500 which enabled POSCH to set up a Cook ‘n’ Eat project.
Over four weeks at Northallerton Bowling Club, mums who are members of POSCH learned a range of cookery skills and how to cook a variety of well-balanced meals on a budget.
This is particularly important because many of the mums have children with autism who are particular about what they eat (which can be a challenge for those with autism), making meal-time selection and preparation difficult for their families.
One of the aims of the course was to introduce meals/recipes that were likely to appeal to the whole family. It was also designed to help families where individuals are lactose or gluten intolerant.
Marie Holmes was one of the mums who took part in the course. Her daughter has autism and eats only a narrow range of food. Marie often finds herself having to make three different meals for the family as her husband works nights.
She says: “I found the course very useful because it has given me much more options when it comes to preparing meals and I am hoping it will help to widen my daughter’s diet in particular.”
Another mum who took part is Louise Lawlor.
She said: “It has got me out of my comfort zone by helping me experiment with different food and flavours.”
The idea for the course came from POSCH Trustee Julie Blakey, who also led the sessions.
Julie, who has 20 years’ experience as dietician and is a parent/carer, said: “It’s not only about the food as there’s an important social element too. By bringing members of POSCH together we’re creating new links and friendships and we could only have done this with Broadacres’ support.
“We’re also grateful to Hambleton FoodShare for donating some of the ingredients used in the recipes.”
Jacque Maylon is one of the Broadacres’ residents which serves on the Community Development Fund Panel.
She said: “When we considered the application it looked a great scheme on paper and now I have visited and seen the group in action, it further validates why we chose to support the project with funding.
“Local projects like this are exactly the reason why the Community Development Fund exists.”
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