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Minister takes food lesson with Edinburgh children
07/08/2012
Local Government Minister Derek Mackay today highlighted the work of community groups by joining some of the country’s youngest Olympic opening ceremony participants and learning about food through storytelling, tasting and experimenting.
Broomhouse Health Strategy Group runs the choir which was chosen to sing “Flower of Scotland” as part of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, and encourages healthy eating through its work with young people and adults. Mr Mackay met some of the children who took part and talked about their experience.
The group’s work will feature on an innovative new website, which Mr Mackay will launch during his visit with the group. Our-great-ideas.org provides a space for groups across Scotland to come together to share their successes in transforming their communities and make it easier for communities to take action in future.
In June, Mr Mackay launched an exploratory consultation on the proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill, which will put more power in the hands of communities, and the website is designed to support that and encourage the work communities are already doing.
Local Government Minister Derek Mackay said:
“The Broomhouse Health Strategy Group is a perfect example of what communities working together can achieve. Nearly twenty years ago, three local women’s groups spotted a real need in their area for information and help on eating and living healthily and got together to meet that need.
“I saw at first hand the great work they are doing. That good initial idea has grown into a group providing an invaluable service for their community – helping people eat well on a budget, giving cookery lessons to give people more confidence, and helping people get out and about and get to know their neighbours.
“And it’s a sign of the tremendous achievements of this group that the choir it runs for local children was chosen to showcase a part of Scotland’s culture to the world, singing “Flower of Scotland” as part of the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
“Although the work I saw in Broomhouse is very special, I know that Broomhouse is not unique, and that there are people with good ideas to make their communities better all over Scotland.
“That’s what our Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill is about – helping people with the good ideas, the dedication and the determination like the volunteers here at Broomhouse to get things done.
“The website I’m launching today is a step towards that goal – helping people all over Scotland to share their ideas and experience to spur each other on, making Scotland an even better place, one community at a time.”
Related information:
- Broomhouse Health Strategy Group was group set up in 1993 by a group of West Edinburgh residents to help people in the area stay healthy. The group gives cookery lessons to help families eat healthily on a budget, teaches people in the area how to eat and live healthily, and runs a food co-operative in Broomhouse Market which sells affordable fruit and vegetables to people in the area, and are soon to paint their run-down shop to make it brighter and more appealing. Volunteers from the co-op deliver food to people nearby who are less able to make it to the shops.
- You can view the website at Our Great Ideas
- There is also space on the website for communities to discuss the site and to suggest how they would like to see it develop in the future, to ensure the site continues to be designed around their needs and aspirations.
- You can read more at Proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill and the Consulation