Chef, best-selling author and YouTuber Big Has has joined forces with Save the Children and partner Local Welcome to support children in his local area of Tottenham, North London who are being hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.
In partnership with Save the Children and
Local Welcome, Big Has ran a cooking workshop with primary school children at St Pauls All Hallow’s in Tottenham, teaching them to make flatbreads – inspired by his Cypriot heritage.
Nearly 4 million children are currently living in households that are food insecure
in the UK. According to Save the Children research, more than four in 10 lower-income parents have been forced to skip meals at least once a week to ensure their children can eat due to the cost-of-living crisis. Save the Children predicts this is due to worsen
over the coming winter months.
Big Has said:
“Food has the power educate, empower and inspire. Bread is an offering of love and togetherness that goes beyond eating, offering moments where you come together with friends and family to connect and share stories. Teaching these kids how to cook flatbread gives them a key skill that they can have for life.
The cost-of-living crisis is massively affecting these kids. If they can’t eat, they can’t concentrate at school and they can’t play in the playground. I know what it’s like
to grow up without much money and have to make ends meet. That’s why I’m passionate about supporting children across the UK who are experiencing food poverty, They’re the future of our society and I can’t think of a cause closer to my heart.”
St Paul’s All Hallows pupil, Zakai,10, said:
“When I learnt to make flatbread with Bis Has I felt really happy and proud of myself. I
think it is very important for children to know how to cook good food because when you have a full stomach, it is much easier to learnt at school than when you have an empty stomach. If you have an empty stomach in the day at school, you are distracted by
how hungry you are which makes it really difficult to use your brain properly and enjoy your days at school.”
To reduce food insecurity in the UK, Save the Children is campaigning for the Government to increase benefits/Universal Credit rise in line with inflation (6.7%) as part of the autumn
statement on the 22nd of November. The charity also wants children whose families receive Universal Credit to be eligible for free school meals, as currently only families earning £7,400 or less qualify. This move would ensure another 800,000 children across
the country would receive a balanced meal at school every day.
Director of UK Impact at Save the Children, Dan Paskins said:
“We know that nutritious food fuels play, boosts education and enables children to have the healthy, happy future they deserve. Yet currently, nearly 4 million children live in households that are food insecure in the UK. This is not good enough. No child in the UK should be going hungry.
Winter is set to be an extremely difficult period for families across the UK as the cost of living pressures continue to bite. The Government must do more to ensure every child has access to enough healthy food and we will not stop campaigning to make this happen.
This winter, Save the Children is urging the British public to come together and support children who are experiencing food poverty in the UK and around the world by donating to the Feed Children’s Futures campaign at savethechildren.org.”
CEO of Local Welcome, Ben Pollard, said:
“In a divided world, cooking and eating together is a powerfully simple way to stir up unity, reduce isolation, and celebrate the diversities that make us stronger.
Everyone in the UK should have enough food to eat, and a place to belong. We don’t have to accept division, isolation and hunger. We can do better. Our volunteer-led groups help families, who are often newcomers, to make new friends, learn new skills, and strengthen their communities, together.”
