08/08/2007

New Mountain Bike fo School's Healthiest Eater

A health conscious pupil from a Stockport school has won a mountain bike as part of a healthy eating competition.

David Tole, a Year 7 student at St James' RC High School in Cheadle Hulme won the healthy eating competition, which was jointly run by Solutions SK Ltd, Stockport Council's wholly owned company and PCS Cashless Payments Systems Ltd.

A reward scheme was introduced at the school to encourage pupils to eat healthier meals at lunch times. Points were awarded if pupils chose from one of the 'five a day' category or if they visited one of the pasta, jacket, or salad bars, or chose a homemade dish.

Points were awarded for the type of food pupil's ate, which was then recorded using the cashless system, introduced 18 months ago, by PCS Cashless Payment Systems Ltd working in partnership with the School and Solutions SK Ltd.

David Tole, the winning pupil, said: "This competition has helped everyone at the school think more carefully about their diet and has encouraged us all to eat more healthy options."

Alongside the competition, weekly records are kept and the following week the top five healthy eaters are given a VIP pass for themselves and a friend to use in the dining area.

Headteacher, Charles Lowry, said: "I am delighted that David has been presented with this prize, the whole initiative really supports the message that the school and Solutions SK's Catering team are committed to encouraging pupils to eat more healthily."

All dishes on the menu meet the government's nutritional standards and have been developed further to include traditional roast dinners, mixed salads, steamed vegetables, wholemeal assorted breads/wraps with various fillings and a wider range of fresh fruit, available on a daily basis.

Councillor Mark Weldon, Executive Member for Children and Young People, said: "I am pleased to see that Solutions SK provides healthy and nutritious school meals to primary and secondary schools across the borough, working in partnership with parents to support the 'whole school approach' to a healthier lifestyle."

The mountain bike was donated by PCS Cashless Payments Systems Ltd.

Pictured: (left to right) are Daniel Cookson from PCS Cashless Systems, Andrea Thorburn, Solutions SK's Catering Manager for St James' High School and competition winner, David Tole with his new mountain bike.