Many people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have felt alone and isolated, and budgeting for day-to-day essentials like food has become a challenge.

Parents and family members of young children have teamed up with Bwyd Powys Food at Cultivate, Powys County Council and Powys Teaching Health Board to help them budget and eat fresh and healthy food.

Around 10 ‘Eat Smart, Save Better’ workshops were held in schools across Powys to teach 20 parents at each event about different food groups and portion sizes. Top tips around money saving ideas included not buying branded items and making filling meals by adding lentils to save on more expensive foods such as meat.

Families were also given a bag of shopping worth £15 along with a recipe booklet that included the gifted shopping items.

County Times: Aimee Griffiths, Sarah Edwards, Sami Vaughan, Naomi Jones and babies Lucy and Mia, Sophie Yates (Powys County Council) and presenters Kate Williams (PTHB) and Mark Cahill (Powys County Council) at the Eat Smart, Save Better workshop at Maesyrhandir School, Newtown on March 5, 2024.Aimee Griffiths, Sarah Edwards, Sami Vaughan, Naomi Jones and babies Lucy and Mia, Sophie Yates (Powys County Council) and presenters Kate Williams (PTHB) and Mark Cahill (Powys County Council) at the Eat Smart, Save Better workshop at Maesyrhandir School, Newtown on March 5, 2024. (Image: Bwyd Powys)

Organisers said the workshops had been “extremely successful” with parents who will be putting what they’ve learnt to practice when they next go food shopping.

Richard Edwards, Chair of Bwyd Powys Food, said: "Such an interesting afternoon discovering how to both eat well and save money at the same time.

"Everyone there seemed to have a good time, plus there was a goody bag of groceries to take away and so you could try putting into practice your new learnt skills. It was great to see the funding from Bwyd Powys Food put to such good use."

Sophie Yates, Family Liaison Officer, added: “We are incredibly grateful to be able to facilitate such a fantastic opportunity for families in our community.

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“Not only did participants’ learn more about nutrition and how to incorporate the information learned into their diets, but also received a bag of shopping and a recipe book to use with the ingredients provided which helped enormously due to the current financial climate.

“All participants commented on how enjoyable and helpful the workshops were to them. A huge thank you to Bwyd Powys Food, and to Mark and Kate for presenting the workshops in such an enjoyable way.”

To find out more information about ‘Eat Smart Save Better’ please e-mail: nickb@cultivate.uk.com