Good food health champion aims for contest final on TV

ONE of Calderdale’s volunteer health champions could be in line for an ITV Pride of Britain Award.

Sarah Gyenge, 56, has dedicated her time to teaching young people where their food comes from, the benefits of growing your own and leading a healthy lifestyle. Now her hard work has been recognised after she was nominated by NHS Calderdale for the Feelgood Factor category of the annual awards.

Miss Gyenge was chosen from thousands of entries to be one of the final four for the Yorkshire and Humber Region.

Judges will now decide which of the four will be put forward for the national final hosted by TV celebrity Carol Vorderman this autumn.

Miss Gyenge became a health champion after discovering some children were unaware that chips came from potatoes and milk came from a cow.

She has promoted her message by designing and building a cow that could be milked and has promulgated her work at a number of events including Halifax Agricultural Show and Halifax Food and Drink Festival.

Her dream is to develop a community garden, city farm and education centre so local people can use allotments and community gardens to grow their own produce.

Tomorrow Miss Gyenge, and Daisy the mechanical cow, will be filmed by ITV working with pupils from Ash Green Upper School, Mixenden, Halifax.

Calderdale Community Health Champions is a volunteer initiative delivered by NHS Calderdale’s Health Improvement Service.

The role of champions such as Miss Gyenge is to encourage healthy eating, increase levels of physical activity and improve mental health and overall well being.

Health improvement practitioner for NHS Calderdale Petra George said: “We are delighted Sarah has been shortlisted.

“She truly is an inspirational health champion and has a passion for helping others.”