The Children’s Food Trust, a healthy eating charity, has closed with the loss of 47 jobs after losing funding.
The Sheffield-based trust was established in 2005 as a non-departmental public body by the Department for Education and Skills, following a campaign for better food in schools by the chef Jamie Oliver.
It was registered as a charity in 2007, and in 2011 it was spun out of government and became an independent organisation.
The charity received start-up funding of £15m of funding for DfES and recently secured another £20m from the Big Lottery Fund. Its ongoing income comes largely from bespoke contracts and the sale of training courses to statutory funders.
It runs regular Let’s Get Cooking courses in schools and has worked on developing schools food standards and a tax on sugary drinks.
'Funding harder to find'
The charity said its closure comes as local and central government funding grows harder to find.
The charity will remain open until September, and all wages and redundancy payments will be paid in full, a spokesman for the charity said. Any remaining balances will be returned to funders.
The charity has said it will leave a legacy of resources from its Let’s Get Cooking courses, which it hopes will continue to develop healthy eating among children.
Linda Cregan, chief executive of the trust, said: “Given the political and economic climate all charities are facing difficulties and we are no different. We remain passionate and dedicated to improving child health but it has proved impossible to continue to deliver our services and extremely reluctantly the trustees have chosen to close the Trust. It is our priority at this point to speak to all our funders and partners to ensure a smooth transition and a positive legacy.”
Adam Starkey, chair of trustees at the trust, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have had to make the decision to close the Children’s Food Trust. We can be very proud of the work we have done but there is much more to do. We still face a crisis in child health, now more than ever, work in this area is vital.
“We urge everybody to ensure that action to improve children’s diet and the standard of the food they eat does not lose pace. Government, food producers and food retailers must make a commitment to researching what works, creating approaches and policies that have an impact, and campaigning to change behaviours that get children to eat well. Investment is needed so that organisations intent on improving child health can pick up the baton and continue our great work.”
Related articles
