Healthy and wealthy (From Penarth Times)

Healthy and wealthy

HEALTHY pupils at a Penarth school have had a cash reward after eating well and keeping fit.

The youngsters at Evenlode Primary School have been given £200 by the Healthy Schools Scheme in the Vale which aims to promote health and well-being.

For the scheme, an initiative from the National Assembly, schools are set three targets a year which they have to complete. Two are embodied in the National Curriculum while the other is a one-off event.

Evenlode has completed many of these targets, including devising a cycle path scheme - which is currently on hold for consultation, and Operation Christmas Child, which saw them sending parcels to under-developed countries.

Carol Maher, healthy schools co-ordinator for the Vale and employed by the Vale Local Health Group, said: "The Healthy Schools Scheme is an all Wales scheme.

"The Vale network started off as Cardiff and the Vale at the end of 1999, then it became the Vale Network in 2001."

The scheme recruits around six Vale schools a year, and at the moment has two secondary and nine primary.

She said: "The idea is to help schools focus on healthy eating. It is funded partly in the Vale by Health Promotion and partly by the National Assembly."

Alun Jenkins, headteacher of Evenlode, said: "It will be put to good use with all the projects ongoing at the moment.

"The cycle path has been put on hold that was part of the process but we've also got lots of other little things running.

"Operation Christmas Child contained two or three targets and pupils sent boxes to underdeveloped countries. The kids were absolutely chuffed to bits when they had letters of thank you."