The Childhood Obesity Trailblazer Programme was set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan: Chapter 2 and is designed to give local authorities the power and support to test existing levers within their control and to identify opportunities to support healthy weight and reduce levels of childhood obesity

Food Active were commissioned by Pennine Lancashire Consortium of Local Authorities to support the intense 12-week discovery phase in early 2019 which saw 13 local authorities working to make the final five. Since October 2019 Food Active have been supporting Pennine Lancashire’s Healthier Place Healthier Future programme working closely with colleagues across the footprint. The Pennine Lancashire consortium comprises 7 local authorities, including one unitary, one upper tier and five district councils.

Healthier Place, Healthier Future is taking a system-wide approach to transforming food environments

The Childhood Obesity Trailblazer gives the opportunity for local authorities to support and test strategies which support healthy weights and reduce levels of childhood obesity. The project takes a systemwide approach harnessing the power of four levers: system leadership, business engagement and support, positive planning possibilities and community-led action through social movements.

Taking both a top-down and bottom-up approach, HPHF is working with system leaders to engage and inspire action to support healthy weight and more broadly the health and wellbeing agenda; with food businesses to encourage a healthier offer and to provide business support in return; with planning authorities to support a healthier place by aligning policy across the districts and working with the system to use planning to support public health; and with the community to make sure what we are doing meets the needs of our Pennine Lancashire residents, giving them the opportunity to drive change and push for a healthier, accessible and affordable food environment.

Resources

During the project we will release free resources on the website, accessible whether you are a local planner, school or community group. Are you interested in joining our campaign for a better food environment to support our health and wellbeing?  Check out what resources are available as part of the Healthier Place, Healthier Future programme below.

The Healthier Place, Healthier Future Podcast

What does a fair and equal food system look like? Are we aware of how we are purposefully targeted by junk food marketing? How do you serve healthy food whilst owning a takeaway? Food brings us together on many different levels, from where food is produced and consumed to sitting together around a dinner table together. The Healthier Place Healthier Future Podcast is produced by the Pennine Lancashire Childhood Obesity Trailblazer team and aims to open the discussion on our relationship between the food environment and health. Tackling childhood obesity requires getting to grips with unhealthy food environments and understanding our capabilities to fix it.

In this podcast you can listen to our discussions with collaborators on the Healthier Place Healthier Future project. Episodes range from expert guest speakers, recounts of lived experiences of the food environment from food poverty, growing food, the food sphere in the planning system and more. Join us navigating this ‘new normal’ to map the creation of more inclusive and healthier food environments.

To find out more about Healthier Place, Healthier Future, the Childhood Obesity Trailblazer Programme, and to sign up to receive news and updates, please click the relevant button:

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