2024 Food For Fuel with Joe Wicks Jen Craven, Ysgol Trefonnen Primary, Wales
Jen’s infectious energy knows no bounds, and it’s helping her make a real difference in her local community. She’s a creative force for good, making fresh, nutritious food accessible for everyone – all while making exercise fun!
During term time, Jen goes around every class at Ysgol Trefonnen encouraging kids to eat a balanced diet, and challenging them to try new fruit and veg with the Eat Them to Defeat Them challenge (it’s a big hit). She also works closely with parents, hosting a four-week catering course where she teaches them how to make healthy meals.
Then, in the summer holidays, her Food & Fun Club runs for 12 days, providing around 60 kids with a free breakfast and lunch (helping to prevent holiday hunger), and engaging them in physical activity. Her community fridge, which takes donations from local supermarkets, ensures people in the community have access to free fresh fruit and veg.
But Jen knows it isn’t all about the food. She’s also passionate about exercise, coming up with fun daily challenges, such as the Walking Bus, which encourages children to walk to school, and every class achieves walking the Daily Mile.
Her energy and passion for helping everyone in the community get access to tasty, nutritious meals is an inspiration!
Joe Wicks says, “It’s been such a pleasure today to come to Wales and hand this Food for Fuel award, in person, to Jen. I just love the work she has been doing, not just with the children and the school but the community and the parents – she is really helping elevate the health and fitness of this school. I think it’s a really great example of what can be achieved when someone’s passionate and loves what they do. I am really proud of her and hopefully lots of other schools are inspired by her work.”
EVERY CLASS GOES OUTSIDE AND WALKS THE DAILY MILE IN ALL WEATHERS – THEY’RE SO COMMITTED
Jen Craven
Jen is the Family Engagement Officer at Ysgol Trefonnen Primary School in Powys, and is a powerhouse of activity – setting up holiday clubs and community fridges to help the school and wider local community to live healthier lives…
I had absolutely no idea I was going to win this award! So to see Joe Wicks in our school was brilliant, and surreal. Joe is a hero of mine, especially for getting us through lockdown. I did his exercises, then recommended that the kids did it too, so the children did know him. It did blow their minds a bit!
This award has given us all at the school a boost. It isn’t just for me; it’s for everyone at the school who all put in so much effort. Every class goes outside and walks the Daily Mile in all weathers – they are so committed.
It was during Covid that I realised the importance of exercise – I was doing a lot more walking. But when we came back to school it was clear the kids had been stuck inside and needed to get out and eat healthy food. And I wanted to make it available. That’s why I started Eat Them To Defeat Them in classrooms.
Eat Them To Defeat Them is popular with the kids. They get so excited when I go into their classrooms and get them to try lots of different fruits and vegetables. They get a sticker when they do give it a go, and everyone loves a sticker! The kids didn’t seem t
A big project at school was the Community Fridge. We take donations from supermarkets and buy fresh fruit and veg too, then the children on the eco council help to man it. They love having the opportunity to do it. It’s a real social hub, helping the whole community, with 70 families being supported.
Our Walking Bus on Thursdays is popular, where we walk a route to school and pick up students on the way. It’s grown so much over the years. I love it and the children really enjoy it. It’s great when you see a Year 6 talking to someone from Reception – they’re learning those social skills.
I love holding my Food & Fun Club in the holidays. For 12 days we look after between 40-60 kids, give them a free healthy breakfast and lunch – incorporating lots of different fruit and veg in the food – along with at least an hour of exercise every day. Seeing the kids enjoying it makes it worthwhile. The local high school also uses Food & Fun for the Year 6’s induction day.
Providing lunch means we can encourage everyone to at least try the food – they don’t have to eat all of it, but just try it. One time, this child said they hated fish, but they’d just never tried it – they now love it.
We’re in our fifth year of the Food & Fun club. We teach them at least six hours of nutrition, as well as gardening and First Aid. And our one hour of physical exercise could be anything from running, tennis and judo to swimming or fencing. We’ll have a trip out as well: that could be to King Arthur’s Labyrinth, or going to County Hall and debating with local councillors. Every Thursday parents and siblings come and have lunch with us. The kids love it – it’s very popular.
Going forward, we’re going to continue what we’re doing at the moment. Food & Fun Club this year is expanding to include high school students, too. And we want to start a generational lunch club, where older people in the community come and eat with the children, because they can learn so much from each other.
What tips would I share with others? Just try to include healthier food and more movement into your day – you will never regret it. Also make links within the community, that’s really important. And contact your local Health Board, as you can get all the resources you need from there.
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