Children learn healthy lesson at Cookathon (From Leigh Journal)

Children learn healthy lesson at Cookathon

11:15am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in Video

BOLTON Wanderers players created a stir when they headed down to a Farnworth primary school to kick off a marathon cooking event.

Footballers Jlloyd Samuel and Vladimir Weiss popped in to St Gregory’s RC Primary School and learnt how to create a cheese and tomato pizza from scratch.

The school was one of 20 in the North West taking part in National Lottery-funded the Let’s Get Cooking BIG Cookathon — a national initiative to get the nation cooking and eating healthily.

The footballers popped into one of the sessions to show their support and pick up some tips from the young chefs.

The footballers were so impressed by the recipes on offer that they promised to take them home and have a go at making the dishes themselves.

And they said it was vital youngsters learned about healthy eating as early as possible.

Weiss said: “It is always a lot of fun to come to events like this and meet the children.

“My girlfriend normally does the cooking but I might gain some experience from this and try it at home.”

Samuel added: “It is important for us to meet children like this. They support us on the pitch and this is us showing our support.”

He added: “Promoting healthy eating is very important. Things have changed, children play computer games more and have more distractions like this than when I was a child.

“It is important for to encourage young people to eat good food.”

As well as having fun, the event was part of a larger initiative by the school to promote healthy eating.

Reception teacher Caroline Grundy said: “We have always tried to hold cooking clubs but didn’t have funding until we got involved in the Lets Get Cooking Scheme.

“Now parents and children cook together after school. Children are learning lifeskills and develops healthy eating habits.

“It is also gives parents and children time to spend together.”

For the budding cooks, the footballers’ visit was the icing on the cake to a fun day.

Amy Butterworth, aged 10, said: “It was very exciting seeing the footballers. I go to the matches and it is really good having them visit school.

“They were really good cooks and it is good to have them here to talk about healthy eating because they are role models and young people copy them.”