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The Healthy Lives Team Families update contains helpful information and activities for your whole school community
This is the FAMILIES newsletter from The Healthy Lives Team. Each Friday we share relevant information, activities and resources to support your ongoing health and wellbeing.
The HEALTHY LIVES TEAM supports schools, pupils and families with everything to do with health and wellbeing. We want to help you to live fitter, healthier and happier lives.
We now have a Healthy Lives Team webpage where you can find out more about the team and access Healthy Schools resources and all our archived newsletters.
Launch of the Fantastic Food in Schools Programme
In Tower Hamlets we want to make school food as healthy as it possibly can be. Eating a healthy and delicious school meal every day is better for our children’s health, weight and teeth, leading to better focus, concentration and achieving more academically.
Tower Hamlets Healthy Lives Team, Public Health and Contract Catering Services have joined forces to launch the Fantastic Food in Schools Programme in all primary schools from October 2023. The programme aims to promote healthy eating among children throughout the school day, including a healthy dessert of fresh fruit, yoghurt and cheese and crackers. We will work with schools to train kitchen and support staff, to promote healthy eating, improve dining halls and provide more opportunities for food education in schools.
We want to work with as many schools as possible, and parents and families are an important part of shaping and promoting healthy eating in schools. We hope you will support this new initiative and would like to hear your experiences of school food and how we can support your child/children through the programme. If you have any questions, ideas or would like to discuss food in your school please contact Rab Brownell – School Food Improvement Programme Manager, The Healthy Lives Team; Robert.Brownell@towerhamlets.gov.uk
World Mental Health Day 2023
This year World Mental Health Day is on 10th October, which provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on how we can take care of each other and ourselves. We can all learn more about how to help someone who is struggling with mental health and wellbeing, below are some links to support this:
Share your views about what needs to be done to address violence against women and girls
Tower Hamlets Council are gathering information to help with future planning for services, programmes, and other projects that aim to reduce different forms of violence against women and girls in Tower Hamlets.
The term ‘violence against women and girls’ (referred to as VAWG) includes a range of crimes which affect women and girls more often (although all genders can be affected) – these include domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation, stalking, ‘honour’-based abuse (female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and ‘honour’ killings), digital or online abuse (‘revenge porn’, ‘upskirting’), among others.
Your views are important and will contribute to Tower Hamlets becoming a safer place for everyone. Here is how you can help:
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People who live in Tower Hamlets: Please complete this survey to share your views about local issues and needs for preventing and reducing VAWG in the borough. Here is the link: https://forms.office.com/e/TUg7NsuNMZ. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until 10 October 2023.
To learn more about support for VAWG in Tower Hamlets,
 Parents Survey - Help to redesign the Youth Service
- Tower Hamlets Council is investing £13.7 million into developing an exciting new youth service 'Young Tower Hamlets' for young people aged from 11-19 and up to 25 with SEND across the borough.
- we are seeking the views of parents, carers and caregivers. We would like to know what you think the new Youth Service should offer young people and what that offer should look like..
Raising awareness of testicular health problems in boys and young men
The North East London Cancer Alliance is funding a project aimed at raising awareness of testicular health problems that can be experienced by boys and young men. Testicular cancer rates start to rise in the mid-teens, while testicular torsion (twisting) rates start to rise even younger, at around age 11. Both conditions can be treated easily if diagnosed early but can become more serious if left for too long before medical intervention, potentially resulting in the removal of a testicle and/or advanced cancer.
The project aims to reach all boys in North East London with NHS-approved testicular health education, and would like parents and carers to be aware too, so that you know what to do if your son raises any concerns with you. Please look at www.testicularhealth.info to find out more about what to look out for and when to seek medical help – early intervention makes a big difference.
Tower Hamlets Children’s Choir (7-11)
Mondays, 4.30-5.30pm
Cayley Primary School, Ashton Street, E14 7NG
THAMES Children’s Choir is an exciting singing group for 7-11 years olds who live or attend school in Tower Hamlets.
Each session includes fun singing warm-ups, learning a range of songs, developing musical and performing skills, working towards performances and meeting new friends. The choir takes part in local performances/festivals at various times across the year.
There are many benefits of singing, including improved musical skills and higher attainment in other school subjects. Singing is also said to help develop confidence, concentration and social skills, and is also great fun!
Join the choir on Mondays and be part of a vibrant, talented team of young singers!
Participation is FREE. Register your child here.
For more information, visit the THAMES website, email alison.porter@towerhamlets.gov.uk or phone the office on 020 7364 0431.
The Healthy Steps Programme has launched -NHS
Healthy Steps is a FREE 8-week email programme aimed at families with children aged 5-11. It encourages families to eat better, move more and provides practical ideas, whilst still being budget conscious. You can sign up at any time by completing a short quiz about your current eating and physical activity habits, once complete you will receive tailored emails on reducing sugar, eating 5-a-day and meal planning. Families can also set goals or tasks for themselves to support their progress.
Healthy Start – free healthy food and vitamins
If you have children between the ages of 0-4, you may be eligible to access money for healthy food and milk. Healthy Start has switched from paper vouchers to card that can be used in the same way as a bank card. If you used to receive Healthy Start vouchers, you’ll need to reapply.
If you’re pregnant or have a child under the age of four in Tower Hamlets, you can also collect free vitamins from a Children’s and Family Centre.
Has your child missed any of their routine vaccinations?
Parents and guardians of children aged 1 to 11, who are not up to date with their vaccinations, will be offered protection for their children against polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) through primary schools and community venues. They can also contact their GP surgery at any time to get their children up to date with their vaccinations.
Kooth free online mental health and wellbeing service in Tower Hamlets - new video and resources for Parents and Carers
Kooth is a free online mental health and wellbeing service available to all young people in Tower Hamlets aged 11-25. It is a self-referral service, where young people have access to fully-qualified online counsellors until 10 pm every day of the year. There is also a range of other support including an online interactive magazine, discussion boards, self-help tools, and wellbeing activities. A new video for parents and carers has been produced, as well as a range of parent and carer resources, please follow the links below.
 "I realised that the words you hear shape you, but the most important words you'll ever hear in your entire life are the words you say to yourself".
Marisa Peer
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The Healthy Lives Team
The Healthy Lives Team want to support you with all aspects of health and wellbeing. We will be sending you regular newsletters that will be relevant whether you are at school, work, or at home.
Please feel free to share this email.
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We are incredibly proud in Tower Hamlets to have supported schools to gain more Healthy Schools awards than any other borough in London. So please use this newsletter in whatever way suits you best to stay as fit and healthy as possible.
If you're in a school, please share this newsletter using your social media or website using the following share button, or you can click the hyperlink in the top right corner of this email:
Subscribing to this newsletter
Just to let you know, you're receiving this because you have either opted in to get emails from the council relating to children and education, or you are one of the Healthy Lives team's regular contacts, or you may also have been forwarded this email from your school.
If you or anyone you know would like to sign up to this newsletter, please use the following link.
Take care,
The Healthy Lives team at London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Useful links
Did you know that Tower Hamlets offers other email newsletters to keep you up to date on a variety of topics?
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