VIP's and Smoothies

On Friday 9th July, 15 employees from Eversheds in London ditched their day job to get out into their local community and help change the lives of children from Johanna Primary School in Lambeth. 

Our team had a fantastic day preparing healthy treats with the children at Johanna Primary School. The best way of promoting healthier foods is by having fun and we all got stuck in right from the start making an assortment of smoothies, wraps and fruity afternoon snacks. The input from a high-profile chef such Rob Rees made the day that much more special.  We had a great time interacting with the children -the day was definitely as beneficial for us as a team of colleagues as it was for the school.

The volunteers from Eversheds were taking part in Give & Gain Day, the UK’s largest and only day of action for employee volunteers.  Managed by Business in the Community, 6,500 employees from 213 organisations across England took time out of their busy schedules to help out a variety of causes.

Johanna Primary was delighted to participate and benefit from volunteers to help out with their Let’s Get Cooking club; just one of over 2,000 Big Lottery funded cooking clubs held after school in England.   

With a VIP visit from celebrity chef and Chair of The School Food Trust Rob Rees MBE, Eversheds volunteers and 60 children from the school were able to learn about healthy eating and cook up a feast of healthy smoothies, wraps and fruit skewers.   

This business support is worth over £2, 800 to the school – much appreciated as Johanna Primary School lies in an area of severe economic deprivation and is among the poorest schools in the London Borough of Lambeth.  42% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, almost double the national average.   With the help and support of Business in the Community and Eversheds, children can continue to be inspired and educated with the help of volunteers from the world of work.

Lucia Glynn from Johanna Primary said: “We had a wonderful time on Give and Gain Day 2010 with the support of a team from Eversheds who came to lead a project on healthy eating.  Sixty children benefited from cookery sessions, ably assisted by enthusiastic volunteers.  We were delighted to host Rob Rees, Chair of the School Food Trust, who cooked and enjoyed lunch with our children and valued the advice and support he offered to staff, volunteers and pupils.  At Johanna we value our links with businesses and the benefits that this partnership work offers and hope to work with both Business in the Community and Eversheds again in the near future.”

For more information on supporting Let's Get Cooking clubs across England, please contact Vanessa Strauss.