Tasting Change - Wester Hailes Report 2019

TASTING CHANGE Final Report

CONTENTS - Introduction - We Are What We Eat Cooking Groups - Cooking groups Case study - Journeys with Tasting Change - Siobhan's Story - Healthy Eating workshops - Healthy Eating Case study - Community Food Shop - Community Food Shop Consultation - Taste and Share - Taste and Share Case Studies - REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene - CHAI - CREATE section - Events (playdays, community meals, playdays, other events) - Volunteers - Journeys with Tasting Change Alan's Journey - Partnership working - Conclusion

Introduction Tasting Change: A Collaborative Project Tasting Change was a collaborative community led initiative that aimed to tackle the health inequalities and deprivation levels created by food insecurity in Wester Hailes. This is a problem in the Wester Hailes community that extends well beyond simple nutrition. Local levels of food insecurity exacerbate health inequalities, inhibit social inclusion and constrain community capacity building.

Whilst understanding the absolute necessity of emergency food provision, Tasting Change sought to work imaginatively to reduce reliance on food banks and to enable residents to develop skills and confidence, building levels of resilience.

In order to achieve these aims the following set of outcomes were established:

More people on low incomes are food secure within an environment where they feel treated with dignity with improved levels of health and wellbeing, and a sense of control and choice over their circumstances.

More people from marginalised groups including BME communities become less socially isolated and able to link into other community activities and groups.

More people develop core skills through improved selfconfidence, volunteering opportunities and training.

There is increased social capital through stronger local networks generated by more people becoming involved in wider community activities and decision making.

The project was delivered by a local consortium and the project activity was designed to achieve the outcomes set:

Whale Arts: connected creativity and food through a variety of arts and crafts-based sessions and events that included food and shared meals.

CHAI: offering welfare advice and support to help people maximise their income.

The Health Agency: Extended hours of the Community Food Shop plus cooking and healthy eating workshops, community meals, café Pop Ups, promoted cooking on a budget, reducing food waste and using seasonal produce.

Score Scotland: Worked with others, to deliver tailored workshops targeted at people from different cultures to improve access to affordable locally sourced food and to reduce food waste Prospect Housing: Lead partner on the project

Tasting Change was delivered through a well-established partnership and was shaped by local priorities and aspirations. Its multi stranded approach embedded the staff within delivery partner organisations to ensure that the project maximised local resources and benefits from local partners’ knowledge and experience in working with vulnerable individuals and marginalised groups. A project Steering Group comprising of delivery and referral partners met regularly and had strategic oversight and input over the project’s delivery and development. Tasting Change was funded by the Aspiring Communities Fund which is supported by the European Social Fund and Scottish Government.

Dignity in Practice Tasting Change’s approach recognised that engagement is affected by food insecurity and that efforts to tackle issues associated by inequality are hampered by more immediate concerns around a lack of affordable food.

Tasting Change put this immediate community concern first and regarded the local community as a key collaborative partner in establishing solutions that meet their needs as well as their aspirations. Dignity underpinned all of the work that Tasting Change did, and this approach was supported and enhanced by the projects involvement in Nourish Scotland’s Dignity in Practice: A practice development for community groups working to promote and enhance dignity in responses to food insecurity.

Nourish developed a set of Dignity in Practice Principles with support from the Fair Food Transformation and the Poverty Truth Commission.

The following Dignity in Practice Principles provide a way for community food providers to reflect on the design and delivery of their work. Staff, volunteers and those taking part in initiatives are asked to consider if their work supports people to feel:

A sense of control Ability to take part in the community Nourished and supported Involved in decision making Valued and able to contribute

Tasting Change worked to ensure that these principles were adhered to throughout all the various activities and that the participants were supported to feel all of these factors when engaging with project.

Journeys with Tasting Change Tasting Change looked for opportunities to bring diverse groups of people together to generate stronger local networks and the aim was for all the activities to create opportunities for local people to connect and share food in a welcoming and dignified environment. This report seeks to tell the Tasting Change story through the eyes of the participants and the workers and to provide a summary of the project’s achievements over its 18-month duration.

The report presents findings from the multi method evaluative approach conducted throughout the duration of the project between November 2017 and March 2019. The findings are based on analysis of data gathered using the methods of observation, case study interviews, group case study analysis’s, quantitative questionnaires, participant’s testimonials, focus groups, a community consultation and participants soundbites. We have also included a section on feedback given by some of the local partnership organisations we worked with. This data was gathered using survey monkey.

Within each section there is an emphasis on the presentation of the qualitative data gathered and the stories that emerged throughout the project.

These stories and pieces of feedback will demonstrate how the overall outcomes were achieved. The individual case studies presented have been a named ‘Journeys with Tasting Change’ and these stories seek to document each person’s journey throughout the project and aim to highlight, from the participants perspective, how Tasting Change has impacted on their lives. The report will also consider how the level of activity brought to Wester Hailes, through Tasting Change events, Community Market Days and Meals, has impacted the area and its residents.

WE ARE WHAT WE EAT Cooking groups

Tasting Change delivered 5 eight week cooking courses, primarily based within The Health Agency. These courses were aimed at Wester Hailes residents and the project sought to engage people on a low income who may be experiencing issues such as food insecurity and varying levels of social isolation.

Creating a dignified environment where people could come together and share food and conversation was central to the projects overall approach and so these sessions were all designed to be democratic, interactive and inclusive with an emphasis on the participants sharing ideas and experiences rather than being ‘taught’.

The workshops were semi structured and flexible, shaped around the people participating and what key elements were important to them. At the beginning of each course a two way dialogue was opened up between the facilitator and the group members to ascertain learning wants and goals and to develop some individual and shared goals.

One third of the adults attending the cooking classes disclosed that they had made use of a foodbank before, with varying levels of regularity and so recognising that for some attendees, affording a meal is an issue, the sessions encouraged people to eat and share what had been made during the sessions, with any surplus being made available to take away. As well as promoting healthy eating the sessions had an emphasis on simple, easy to make recipes which addressed confidence levels and encouraged participants to replicate what they had learnt at home.

Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used to evaluate each course and these included questionnaires, group feedback, observations and case study collations.

Results 5 eight week cooking courses took place at The Health Agency.

5 PARTICIPANTS

MAY - JUNE 2018

6 PARTICIPANTS

7 PARTICIPANTS

JUNE - JULY 2018

JULY - AUG 2018

FEB-APRIL 2019

8 PARTICIPANTS

SEPT - NOV 2018

9 PARTICIPANTS

KEY RESULTS JUNE - JULY 2018JAN- APRIL 2019 Quantitative data

This data has been drawn from four sets of post evaluation questionnaires completed by participants at the conclusion of their courses. These findings demonstrate that attending these cooking workshops have had a positive impact on the majority of the participants relationships with food, diets and their approach to shopping and meal planning. As well as their health, involvement in these classes has also had a positive impact on their well-being, with 71% of the people who attended agreeing that they felt less socially isolated since using the project.

School Holiday Cooking A Practitioner's Reflection Introduction School meals are an integral part our of food system to provide healthy nutritious free food to children across Edinburgh and Scotland. During the holidays, this provision of food is significantly reduced. This puts extra pressure on families to provide 3 meals a day, which can be very difficult for families facing food insecurity. The term holiday hunger was created to address and tackle the issue of thousands of children going hungry during the school holidays.

Holiday Hunger Programme To address this Tasting Change partnered with

"I didn’t enjoy

the Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC).

Wester Hailes is an area of multiple deprivation with the area ranking as one of the top 5% deprived areas in Scotland. Understandably, this

cooking before but now I’m much more confident"

would mean children attending WHEC were more likely to be facing holiday hunger. Tasting Change partnered with the Family Engagement worker at the WHEC to work together to create a 6-week cooking group during the holidays. The family engagement worker invited teenagers who

"I like trying new things. Even if

he felt to be the most vulnerable to come along.

Although cooking was the main activity, we also incorporated games (Uno being the favourite), music and sports into the mix. The idea was to come up with a country each week to make a dish from and the group was set up to be more

food looks disgusting can actually taste really good"

of a ‘fun’ activity rather than being advertised as a holiday hunger programme – to provide food in a dignified way.

All dishes were made from scratch and all were made as healthier versions. For many of the teenagers the flavours and dishes we made were fairly new to them. When cooking the veggie paella all of them were saying that it didn’t look nice and were put off, but when they tried it they loved it! With many coming back for seconds. This led to one participant saying ‘Even if food looks disgusting, it can actually taste really good’.

Fussy eating was a big theme within the group, the majority of the teenagers said they didn’t like to eat healthy and didn’t like vegetables. A social construct which can be hard to break! When we made the pitta pizza’s (a healthy, balanced dish) the teenagers quite happily put lots of veggie toppings on, demonstrating that they like it when it is incorporated into something familiar and tasty to them. Making food a fun and creative activity rather than solely focusing on the health benefits made it more likely for the teenagers to try it.

The group was also very social. The teenagers were from different year groups so were able to provide advice about school work/school life. Almost all the teenagers said that if they weren’t at the group then they would just be sitting at home on the xbox or with nothing to do. All of these teenagers were not going on a summer holiday and felt ‘stuck’ within the Wester Hailes area. Although there is a lot of school holiday programmes, in Wester Hailes too, teenagers can find it hard to have something that is suited to them. It’s an awkward age, so perhaps this helps demonstrate the effectiveness of a small informal cooking session with games for all teenagers to drop in and out of and to prevent them from being socially isolated.

COOKING GROUP Case Study

The group was facilitated by Catherine Fyfe a Food and Health Development Worker from Edinburgh Community Food

The 'We Are What We Eat' cooking sessions we're set up to address the barriers in which individuals in the community of Wester Hailes have to adopt a healthy balanced diet and to encourage positive food opportunities.

The sessions were designed to be 8 weeks long based at the Health Agency kitchen from 1:15pm-3:15pm. In total we had 9 local people come to the cooking group with 7 regular attendees.

The aim of the cooking sessions were to be group led focusing on dishes

"I always feel a bit unconfident

that were easy to follow, budget friendly, flavourful, healthy and fun.

cooking but

The group created an opportunity for

coming here

participants to learn new recipes,

makes me think

experiment with flavours and tastes, and work together as a group to

it's actually quite easy when you've

create dishes from scratch and enjoy

done it once!"

them together.

What do you hope to get from this course Response from the pre questionnaire

Meet New People

Cook Healthy Meals

Time to Myself

Get into a Healthy Routine

Learn to Cook from Scratch

Get out of the House

Improve Quality of Life

More Confidence in the Kitchen

Taste New Foods

Weekly theme On our first session we decided as a group to come up with weekly themes for the cooking group.

This would be a theme such as 'Italian' week in which we would make dishes from Italy as the focus of our sessions. This proved to be a popular and creative way to create new tastes on a budget.

Positive food opportunities The aim of the cooking group was to provide participants with positive food opportunities.

These opportunities included learning basic

"Never in my life did I think I could make a pizza base from scratch just from

cooking skills, how to read and follow a

yoghurt and flour.

recipe, food hygiene, different cooking

I've been making it

styles, and trying new foods and new

with my daughters

flavours.

7 (80%) of the participants reported that they either 'Don't Cook At All' or 'Prepared Convenience Food and Ready Meals'. All 9 expressed a keen interested in learning to prepare foods from scratch. Many of the comments during cooking were expressing disbelief at how much easier they found cooking compared to how hard they thought it would be.

All participants (100%) expressed in their pre-evaluation questionnaire that 'Healthy Eating' was important to them. While 5 (60%) felt that they weren't able to buy healthy food on a budget.

All food made was sourced from the local shops in the Wester Hailes area and priced within a budget. Making this accessible for our participants to be able to make at home.

and nieces [shows pictures] they loved it and added their favourite toppings!"

The price of food was often discussed. We chatted about ways to save our money, reduce food waste and have our cupboards

"You feel a sense of

stocked with non-pershiable foods e.g.

accomplishment

spices, beans, pulses, dried rice/pasta.

when you've spent

The majority of the dishes we made were

this time working

vegetarian. This created good conversation

hard and it comes

about the benefits of reducing our meat

out being really

consumption regarding saving money, our physical health and the positive impacts of a more plant based diet.

At the end of each session we made sure there was plenty of time for everyone to sit down together and eat. This lead into positive conversations about the food made. This included the tastes and flavours, the ease of making it, potential alternatives e.g. different spices, adding beans instead of meat, and how they felt more confident to make it again at home, especially for family members!

On our first week we made soup from Edinburgh Community Food's Take and Make DIY Meal packs. These meal packs are also sold at our 'Community Food Shop' based at the Healthy Living Centre Wester Hailes.

tasty"

The Community Food Shop was set up to

"As much as I

provide affordable and accessible healthy food to be informed and ran by local people.The Community Food Shop helps us compliment the positive food opportunities from our cooking

enjoy cooking I do struggle with knowing what to

group by providing some of the produce that have been used to cook with.

make for one person. The bag makes it easier for me as I wont waste any food and can freeze the extras"

Community Connectedness All participants attending the group are

"I had thought

local to the Wester Hailes area. Four participants were already regularly attending a 'Women's Support Group'

about moving to Leith where my

facilitated by the Health Agency. Similarly many of the other participants have been apart of the Health Agency or Tasting Change in some capacity over the past year. This therefore compliments the services provided in Wester Hailes area with a specific food and cooking sessions that is

daughter lives, but I don't want to leave Wester Hailes as there are so many

otherwise not an exclusive part of other services.

great services and groups

As part of the pre-questionnaire almost all participants had stated that they would like to meet new people with 6 (66%) stating

here....i'd miss it too much!"

that they felt socially isolated. As the group continued the participants became more comfortable with each other with lots of free flowing conversation. Participants demonstrated genuine care for each one

"I like coming

another, providing help and advice when necessary. The majority of the participants arrived early and stayed around afterwards to chat.

There was a real connectedness between the participants. As this was a group, the participants were required to work together as team to make the dish. This often meant

here cause otherwise I would just be sitting in the house on my own"

that the group would work in two's or threes. The group all worked very well together and it was unusual for two people to be working together all the time.

During the course of the 8 weeks the participants were now seeing each other in street and at bus stops, waving to one another or stopping for a chat.

Within the sessions participants would continually express their enjoyment of the social context of the group. Although cooking was the main theme and activity it was also the vehicle for social interaction. Furthering our positive food outcomes.

During our very last session participants expressed gratitude but also sadness that the group was coming to an end. As the faciliator I will make sure to keep in contact with participants and invite them to get involved with other projects.

The end of the 8 week sessions

At the end of the 8 week sessions. Participants

"I had loads of

were provided with a post-evaluation questionnaire.

tins of beans and pulses in my

All 7 participants (100%) agreed that they felt more able to cook healthier meals since using the project.

6 participants now said they were eating more healthily including eating more fruit and veg since using the project.

4 participants reported that they were cooking

cupboard with nae idea with what to do with them...we'll now they've all been used!"

from scratch while 6 participants had reported that they were preparing convenience food and using ready made sauces. This demonstrates that while there is an increase in healthy eating and cooking from scratch, convenience meals are very accessible to people and still have their place. 8 weeks is only a short space of time but even a small increase in cooking from scratch will have a positive impact.

"My cupboards are looking at lot healthier since coming here!" [Another participants

Lastly, all 7 (100%) reported that they felt less isolated since using the project.

chimes in] "Mine too!"

Conclusion

It is clear that the cooking group has had a significant impact on our participants.

All reported that they felt more able to cook healthier meals from scratch and 6 participants felt now eating healthier since using the project.

It is clear that there are challenges for our low income communities to be able to adopt a healthier diet as many of them said they were still cooking convenience meals. The main issues are accessibility and affordability. By buying the produce locally, sticking to a budget and using minimal cooking equipment this allows our participants a realistic opportunity to be able to make these meals again at home with more confidence.

All our participants thoroughly enjoyed the social aspect and all reported that they felt less isolated while attending the group. This group also extended their local contacts.

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE SIOBHAN'S STORY

Journeys with Tasting Change is a series of case studies charting the

Case Study Louise Oliver

progress of individuals who have been involved in the project for a significant period of time.

The case studies seek to document each individual's journey through the project and aim to highlight, from the participants perspective, how Tasting Change has impacted on their lives.

Siobhan met Tasting Change's coordinator Stacey at the job centre where she was looking for advice/help to get back into work.

Siobhan has a university degree and is a very intelligent person, however due to anxiety she has been unable to work for a few months and can find it difficult to leave the house.

Siobhan has been a carer for her mother and at the time of the cooking group was also a carer for her boyfriend, with very little time for herself.

Siobhan had a keen interest in food and decided to sign up to one of our 8 week cooking classes.

"Cooking is good because you can't not like food- it's a baseline"

Engagement and Support Siobhan was really unsure about coming along to the group; she stated that she had thought that everybody would be her age and that it would feel like school. She later admitted that one of the things that she had most enjoyed about the group was that, "It was people that were not like her, there was a mixture of ages and abilities." S felt this took the pressure off and was something that helped her return to the classes.

Siobhan engaged fantastically well with the cooking classes. As she was very able Siobhan went at her own speed, which was usually much quicker than the rest of the group. Throughout the course Siobhan had stated that she was "Given the freedom to do work ahead and that she did not have to wait for others as you (Louise) had found other jobs for me to do to help."

"I am able to enjoy

Siobhan enjoyed that there was choice given to the participants about what food they were

cooking again. I can

able to cook. She liked that there were

get some much

different options for all the recipes and that

needed me time"

people could adapt them to suit their personal tastes- e.g. make them spicier whilst still all sitting down to enjoy a meal together . She also particularly enjoyed the social elements of eating together.

Siobhan missed a week due to illness, she later admitted that she had felt very nervous coming back after a week off, but that the staff had really helped her attend- from the staff at the front desk giving her a bit of time and space to tell herself that if she didn’t like it she could leave, to my colleague (Catherine) who was facilitating the group that day being kind and welcoming.

Confidence Siobhan's Journey

Siobhan was appreciative of the support provided by the facilitator and the group. During the time of the cooking sessions she was also seeing a work coach. She was so excited to tell them that she was sticking to the course and how much enjoyment she got out of it.

Siobhan was a carer, unacknowledged for 6 years, and this was the first time she had had time for herself. She admitted that she found this very hard at first, especially as her boyfriend would call her to ask questions such as how to open a can or cook something in the microwave. She said she gained confidence and was able to stay to him, "No. Sorry. I can't help as I have my cooking class today."

Health and Wellbeing Since starting the course Siobhan had decided to move home with her parents as she felt that the relationship between her and her boyfriend was not helping her anxiety. Whilst she is helping care for her mum, it is definitely not to the same extent as she has done in the past. She is also now buying the Take and Make bags at Tasting Change Community Food Shop and is really enjoying cooking them for her family.

Siobhan stated that her boyfriend would not have enjoyed them so it's really nice to be able to cook for herself and other people that enjoy it. This is what she really enjoyed about the cooking group- being able to enjoy cooking again.

Long Term Impact Siobhan has now got a new job working part time as an admin worker in a local office. Her confidence has increased gradually and has decide to start with part time to ease herself in. In her post cooking group interview she was talking much more positively discussing her hopes and dreams for the future. Siobhan has gained so much from coming along to the 8 week sessions. The group was clearly a strong platform for Siobhan to begin to belief in herself again and flourish.

HEALTHY EATING Workshops

Tasting Change delivered 30 Healthy Eating Sessions within the Wester Hailes community. These interactive sessions focused on sharing information on healthy eating alternatives whilst providing participants with the opportunity to get involved in discussing, preparing and tasting the food. These interactive sessions provided a useful platform for a wider discussion about nourishment, healthy tasty food, accessing affordable fruit and veg and lifestyle. These sessions typically lasted around 90 minutes with easy to follow fun recipes in which participants could then either have a tasty meal or snack to eat at the group or take home.

The sessions were delivered to a range of local groups in a variety of community locations such as community centres and schools. This method of outreach work enabled us to reach a wider, more diverse audience and demographic. This also opened up opportunities to engage

participants in

the wider project.

A multi method evaluation approach was used and adapted to suit each group and audience. Methods used were: photos, post it notes, observations, questionnaires and multi partner feedback.

Schools 5 sessions were delivered within local schools. Canal View Primary, Clovenstone Primary and Wester Hailes Education Centre High School.

By introducing different fruits and vegetables, and involving them in the process of making the dish and snacks, we aimed to invoke a discussion around the topic of food and health to ignite an interest in preparing healthy tasty dishes at home.

At the Canal View Primary group, for example, 7 kids tried kale for the first time and liked it and at Clovenstone Primary all of the girls loved creating and eating the Carrot and Coconut energy balls and said they wanted to make them again.

WHEC

Pupils Holiday Film Group Leek, Kale&Tattie Soup 8 Teenage girls

CANAL VIEW

CLOVENSTONE AFTER SCHOOL CLUB

Playground Project Sweet Potato and Kale Soup 18 Children

Carrot and Coconut Energy Balls 17 Pupils

CLOVENSTONE PRIMARY

Carrot and Coconut Energy Balls International Women's Day Event 11 Girls

CANAL VIEW + CLOVENSTONE PRIMARY

International Women's Day Event Pinwheel wraps & Fruit Pizza 30 Girls

"the girls absolutely loved the session, it was really interesting getting to try all the different foods and it all tasted really good!"

Did you try any new fruit or veg today?

Are you now more likely to include fruit or veg in your diet?

50% Yes

50% No

67% No

33% Yes

Local adult groups These sessions were delivered to a range of locally established community groups. At these groups participants were offered a choice of what to make, typically from the 3 options of energy balls, a salad, or overnight oats. On a special session for International Women's Day, the group really wanted to make Mexican food as it was something they had never tried before!

A session delivered with a small group of local people who had just completed an anxiety management course was centred around food and mood.

"I would like to start making healthier foods in the hopes of helping my mental health"

SW Women

WAWWE Cooking

The Health Agency Beet & Quinoa Salad 10 women

The Health Agency Energy Balls 2 adults

Carers

The Willow Group

The Health Agency Beet & Quinoa Salad 8 women

The Health Agency Beet & Quinoa Salad 7 Gardeners

SW Women NKS

Anxiety Management +

The Health Agency Food and Mood 3 adults

International Women's Day Event Mexican Lunch 15 women

Dads Rock

WHALE Arts Energy Balls 18 adults & kids

Did you try anything 23% No new today?

77% Yes

2% don't know

20% No

77% Yes

Are you now more likely to include fruit and veg in your diet?

Gate 55 Young Mum's Group Four sessions were delivered with the Gate 55 Young Mum's group, with new members attending each session.

Before each group, the facilitator

liaised with the participants to ascertain what they wanted from the session and what food they wanted to make.

As with all the healthy eating sessions a discussion surrounding the food was opened up so that knowledge, ideas and questions could be shared and answered. At the session which focused on overnight oats it was discovered that 6 of the women had not eaten breakfast that morning and that they regularly skipped it.

A wider discussion was then had around the importance of breakfast and the reasons for skipping it. This particular session provided the mum's with a quick and easy way of making a tasty, healthy breakfast and helped address the barriers that cause people to not consume breakfast regularly.

"I think it would be really great for the kids to get involved in making the overnight oats.

I'm going to try it at home and hopefully the kids will take a breakfast."

March 18

Beet & Quinoa Salad 7 Mums

March 18

October 19

Food & Mood Overnight Oats

6 Mums

Meatballs & Pizza 6 Mums

December 19 Festive Soup & Energy Balls 8 Mums

23% No

Did you try anything new today?

77% Yes

32% No

68% Yes Are you now more likely to include fruit and veg in your diet?

Gate 55 Youth Groups Tasting Change developed a close working partnership with Gate 55, a community hub providing clubs for all ages and 12 sessions in total were delivered to the young people that engage with the Youth Clubs. These groups, which take place in the evening, are attended on a 'drop in' basis and it was the young persons choice as to whether or not they wanted to engage in the session, as other activities were available to them as well.

Most of the young people were very enthusiastic and were keen to participate. The food the group made was always agreed beforehand so the young people were given control over what was to be made, allowing them to be more invested in the session.

The approach taken by the facilitator to these groups was quite informal. The aim was to make cooking, preparing

and creating, healthy food fun and

interesting and to keep the young people engaged throughout the session.

"You are amazing with the kids, they love your cooking sessions and they really loved the pancakes!"

Girls Only

May 18 Energy Balls 3 Girls

Monday Teens

Festive Treats Pancakes & Healthy Toppins

19 Teens over 2 sessions

Primary Age

Secondary Age

Pizzas Energy Balls Festive Treats Pancakes

50 Kids over 4 sessions

Overnight Oats & Breakfast Muffins Pizzas & Sweet Tater Chips Pancakes & Healthy Toppings 24 Young People over 3 sessions

Did you try anything new today?

46% No

32% No

68%AreYesyou now more likely to

54% Yes

include fruit and veg in your diet?

THE CALDERS KIDS Case Study Louise Oliver

The sessions were created in collaboration with local mum's living in the Calder area who were keen to have more healthy ideas and new tastes for their children. We agreed on various snacks being available at every session to address issues surrounding food insecurity in a dignified way.

My boy doesn't normally eat carrots. I really enjoyed the raspberry energy balls and will definitely make them again" "

Experimentation and the long term outcome of children enjoying new foods. Children frequently need repeated exposure to new foods before they taste them.

Some children frequently need repeated exposure to new foods and tastes before they decide if they like it or not. This can be very challenging for all parents but especially for those who may be experiencing food insecurity. Understandably parents would be reluctant to buy foods that they believe their children do not like. The sessions therefore created opportunities for both the parents and the children to try new flavours, textures and tastes.

Food Security and Access to Healthy Food More people on low incomes are food secure within an environment where they feel treated with dignity. They will have improved levels of health and wellbeing, and a sense of control and choice over their circumstances.

Out of the 5 parents who were asked the question 'Do you find fruit and vegetables affordable?'- 4 participants responded "No- they are too expensive."

All five participants stated that them and their children had tried new fruits/vegetables/food at the session with one participant stating that it was not new to them but it was a different combination of foods.

I spoke to the parents about the community food shop, to let them know that we stocked fruit and vegetables on a weekly basis, that were cheaper than most supermarkets and also that there was a pic and mix selection. They stated that they would really like to see more

£1

fruit bags available, as even though local budget supermarkets stocked some cheaper fruit and vegetables they were often in big bags and that as a family they simply would not eat all of them.

They also stated again that there was really very little room for experimentation, and trying out new healthier options as they felt the need to stick to what they knew their family would definitely eat.

4 out of 5 participants responded that fruit and vegetables were too expensive .

Food Skills Supporting young people with basic cooking, budgeting and nutritional information The children made a delicious coleslaw together in one of the sessions. The session began by passing around a leaf of the cabbage for each child to feel while asking them questions relating to the colour, texture, what it felt like and what could they do with it. The children became very animated and engaged with this process. They really seemed to enjoy the discussion.

Following on from this they all took part in grating some of the carrot, cutting the oranges in half and squeezing out the juice for the coleslaw. Together the children then all added the ingredients into one bowl and mixed it. All 6 children then ate the coleslaw inside a toasted pitta. The mum’s were very surprised that the children had eaten raw cabbage, and with gusto too.

Tasting Change had purchased child friendly knives that were a great addition to the sessions. These allowed the young people to practice their cutting skills in an incredibly safe manner. The children responded fantastically to these and enthusiastically were completely engaged in chopping, something that had previously been deemed as too dangerous in the past. As a result the parents have since purchased sets of these knives for the children to continue to use.

"I loved being able to do all the cooking myself. It was so much fun being in charge."

Making and Eating Together As cabbages are a very cheap vegetable and the methods we use require very little equipment other than a bowl and a grater it means that this is something that the parents and their children can recreate more easily at home, and most certainly can continue to make after nursery with the group.

At all of our sessions the parents and children were encouraged to prepare and eat together. Rather than having a separate time for children to eat, I made sure that there was an emphasis on the role that parents play in modelling great attitudes around healthy food. We all sat at the table together, nobody used mobile phones and time was dedicated to enjoying the food that the group had created. We also spoke about taking negative words out of our chat.

Additionally, what was incredibly helpful in this group setting was that it allowed each child to see other children who were more comfortable trying new foods. This in turn encouraged them to be more comfortable with the trying of new tastes and textures. Throughout the session I kept my language very neutral around the trying of new things- neither praising nor making a big issue around this.

The snack was put out in small amounts in plates, tapas style for the children to be able to prepare from a range of options for what they would like on their wrap. The children were therefore in control of how much and what they put on their plate. They were also involved in the preparation such as the spreading of the cream cheese, the grating of the carrot and the making and folding of the wrap. I encouraged the adults in the room to sit back and allow the children to make a bit of mess without any tellings offs and for the parents to stay neutral in their language.

After the session all 5 participants stated "yes" to the question, Are you now more likely to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet?

Additionally one of the participants commented- "Very interactive session" and "I really enjoyed the carrot and apple juice."

Long Term Impact With Kids fed back that the children have been eating far more healthier snacks each week at the calder group sessions. They also bought a blender so they can enjoy fruit smoothies each week too. Tasting Change have also been asked to facilitate health eating sessions with the older children in the same group, in April 2019.

THE COMMUNITY FOOD SHOP The Community Food Shop was set up on the 8th of May and has run nearly every week at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre since. Our stall was in the main thoroughfare of the centre, right next to the medical practice’s patient waiting area. The CFS was set up originally set up to increase the availability and affordability of fresh fruit and vegetables to the community of Wester Hailes, and in particular those accessing the medical and social work team that work in the Healthy Living Centre.

The CFS stocked individual fresh fruit and local, organic vegetables, and healthy snacks such as dried fruit and nuts. The produced was supplied by our partners Edinburgh Community Food who operate a stall in the same location on a different day.

Cyrenians partnership May 2017- Nov 2017 We decided to stock vegetable bags from a local farm run as a social enterprise by the Cyrenian’s charity. Their farm was certified organic just as we entered into partnership which was a great selling point to many of those that worked in the centre. Tasting Change were hugely aware of the rise in people signing up to local and organic veg box schemes.

As the Cyrenians did not deliver to many workplaces and were not available in shops we thought this would be a fantastic way to make the CFS a place where we catered for all in Wester Hailes. In order to make the CFS as successful as possible we were keen to make sure that the CFS was a place that both residents of Wester Hailes and people that worked in the area would shop. This would also assist greatly in the CFS having a pay it forward scheme and to increase its capacity to start a revenue stream in order to reduce the reliance solely on government funding. Although the veg bags were subsidised, feedback demonstrated they local people still them to expensive and so the partnership with The Cyrenians was discontinued and Edinburgh Community Food became the sole stockist.

Garden Kitchen soup and Dignity The Garden Kitchen was introduced as part of the project at the very beginning and is the brand name that represented our pop up food stalls and some of the community meal provision.

In order to feed those experiencing food insecurity, a nutritious hot lunch every week, we introduced a Garden Kitchen pop up to stall in October 2018. On a weekly basis we served seasonal soups that were packed full of vegetables. These were served on a donation only, for those experiencing food insecurity they were completely free.

Dignity - Tasting Change Membership Scheme In order to deliver this soup in a dignified way to people, a Tasting Change membership scheme was created. That way members were seen and treated exactly the same as those who donated financially. This was a strategy employed to reduce stigma and to bring about a mediated sense of belonging.

It is expected that the membership card will help to raise awareness of the CFS and the availability of the free lunch, especially over the winter period.

The CFS became not only became an information ‘HUB’ but a social one as well, where local people came to engage with the volunteers and the Tasting Change team.

Pay it forward scheme As Tasting Change had previously offered this soup at our Garden Kitchen which had been very successful with staff in the Healthy Living Centre, the amount of foot fall to our CFS increased hugely. This allowed us to create a Pay It Forward Scheme whereby participants were able to donate to pay for a soup for one of our Tasting Change members. We also envisaged this as a legacy project that could be carried on after the Tasting Change project ended.

Dignity and Provision for those needing Emergency Food On a few occasions local residents who were experiencing food insecurity would ask for help at the Community Food Shop Workers and volunteers gave them free soup, alongside our membership card showing them that they could come weekly and were entitled to free soup in addition to the free community meal every Friday.

In order to address this, we introduced a voucher system, in partnership with CHAI. The worker, from the Chai strand of the Tasting Change partnership gave those people that she identified as needing emergency food with vouchers for them to ‘spend’ at the CFS. This then allowed those people that were in financial difficulty with a dignified way to shop.

Participants could chose exactly what they wanted from the CFS and we were also able to order ‘Take and Make’ bags for those that wanted them.

Our receptionist at the Health Agency was also able to signpost and help all those in need of emergency food with information regarding local food banks and the various community meals in the area.

Access to cheaper fruit and vegetables To increase the uptake of fresh fruit and also to coincide with the Chai Vouchers we introduced 5 pieces of fruit for a

£1.

Customers could choose

any 5 pieces of fruit that they wished. The bags were a great success, people stating that they particularly enjoyed the fact that they could pick and choose and that they could get a piece of fruit that all their kids would enjoy.

Many participants also stated that they found the

£1

bags far more

affordable than cheaper bags of fruits at the likes of local supermarkets such as Lidl as they could not get single pieces of fruit there. With the

£1

bags there was more of a choice element as they could buy fruits that they knew their child enjoyed.

Community engagement One of the most important elements of the community food shop was community engagement. It allowed us a weekly, front facing presence whereby we could meet members of the community that may not have heard about our project- we could then inform them of all the events and service that Tasting Change had to offer. From this we had many people sign up to the cooking sessions offered. Individuals from local organisations such as Gate 55 started to shop with us on a regular basis after Tasting Change delivered healthy sessions to their group. It also allowed members of the community a place where they knew we would be every week and they could come to speak to us about any difficulties they were having. Thirdly workers, particularly nurses and social workers were able to talk to us about specific clients they were working with and groups that we could offer them. As Tasting Change as a team did not share an office that participants could visit the CFS was invaluable as a community hub.

Community Food Shop Legacy Going forward the Community Food Shop will now be managed and developed by Edinburgh Community Food who are going to keep the Tasting Change and Garden Kitchen identities going, as well as the provision of soup and the membership cards. This will also enable some of our volunteers to continue to be involved in the Community Food Shop, contributing in various capacities and will allow the levels of engagement that the project has achieved, to continue.

COMMUNITY FOOD SHOP Consultation

In January 2019, we undertook a community consultation with the help of a Community Education student on placement. A questionnaire was created to gather essential feedback from the Wester Hailes Community to help inform the development of the Community Food Shop.

It was very successful with over 40 people coming along to participate. 39 people in total filled in the questionnaire. This was conducted using face-face interviews. As a thank you, fresh soup and bread was provided for free.

Results from the Consultation What does the idea of having community food shop mean to you?

Good Idea 14.3%

Affordable Food 26.7%

"Something with local people in mind!"

Local Produce 14.3%

"Somewhere in the heart of the community"

"For locals run by locals"

Community Food 20%

Healthy Food 24.8%

"Access to healthy food" "Value for Money"

Quality 21.1%

What is the most important reasons for having a community food shop?

Price 48%

Products 30.9%

Within your community, where do you think the Community Food Shop should be located?

Anywhere 4.5%

School Gorgie 2.7% 2.7%

Sighthill 7.2%

Health Agency 11.7%

Westside Plaza 71.2%

Would you be interested in a pre-prepared meal kit bag including the ingredients and the recipe for an affordable price?

100

75

50

25

0

Yes

No

Do You have any other thoughts or ideas about the Community Food Shop?

"Get teenagers and kids involved" "Have more tasters" "Great idea, Good for the community" "Have a meal of the week or recipe" "More soup!"

"The less packaging the better" "It's great how it is ,don't change it!"

Conclusion In conclusion the majority of respondents (28%) thought that Community Food Shop is more affordable compared to local shops, (59%) thought that the price of the products we sell are of good quality and (79%) thought the new shop should be allocated at West Side Plaza, a central area in Wester Hailes.

The majority of participants were happy with the current shop and appreciate the staffs dedication to increasing access and affordability of healthy food work.

Considering the feedback as a whole, there is an understanding of the need to review the CFS and some support for this, provided it can be assured that people are offered appropriate, good quality of products and alternative support at an affordable price - this can be evidenced within both the questionnaire form and at the face to face interview.

TASTE AND SHARE The Taste and Share strand of Tasting Change supported more isolated residents in Wester Hailes, particularly those from BME communities, through a variety of different workshops and activities. These were based around the preparation and sharing of locally produced food.

The work was tailored to improve health and well-being, reduce social isolation and it enabled participants to access to affordable good food. Taste and Share also aimed to develop employability skills, self-confidence and volunteering opportunities.

Through the 16 months of the project Taste and Share welcomed an average of 10 local people to every workshop including a Weekly Women’s Group; the Monthly: Family Lovefood sessions (which ultimately became weekly); Food Waste and the Intergenerational Lovefood sessions.

Despite introducing international recipes to a new audience, there was an emphasis placed on making use of locally sourced, seasonal produce which remained honestly affordable. In addition to this, the participants gained more knowledge about different ways of preparing and eating Scottish seasonal food.

They also learned about various spices both whole and ground, from other parts of the world and their herbal values. A multi method evaluation approach was used and adapted to suit each group an audience. Photos, case studies, observations and questionnaires were amongst the methods used.

Weekly Women Only Love Food Sessions The weekly Women only 'Love Food' group successfully brought together women from a diversity of cultures. They made friends, shared their expertise, learned new recipes and shared delicious affordable food in a safe and welcoming space.

The group was attended by women from around the world. They overcame language, cultural and religious barriers through varied activities around food preparation. The women also shared ways of

"This kind of group is great for not only learning new techniques in eating healthily, but

preparing tasty food on a budget. Significantly, they discussed and learnt new ways of reducing food waste.

These sessions were inclusive and expressly interactive. Participants were encouraged to ‘share’ their culture specific knowledge rather than being ‘taught’. Thus individual participants

also, to get to know more people and interests. It builds

often took the lead on what dish would be made.

This approach promoted the nurturing and sharing of everyone’s skills and knowledge. The women also reported that these cooking sessions were a good way for them to practice their English skills.

The group had women from Pakistani, Indian, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Scottish, Nigerian, Ugandan, Lebanese, Kenyan, Sudanese, Syrian, Algerian, and other Arabic backgrounds.

community spirit."

The multicultural nature of the group enriched it with enthusiasm and laughter - from improving social interaction (a phrase mentioned repeatedly in feedback after sessions), developing confidence and community resilience to improving people’s spoken English skills and employability.

During these weeks many women formed very meaningful relationships which led to sharing personal contact details so that they could remain in touch. Over time, the group became much more comfortable with each other and regularly shared information about offers of fruit, vegetables and other produce in local areas. They helped each other save money.

Undoubtedly, Taste and Share has delivered a wider range of benefits including building bridges between communities, making friends across cultures, addressing exclusion and isolation and promoting community cohesion.

54 Sessions

10 Participants per week

KEY RESULTS JUNE - JULY 2018JAN- APRIL 2019 These findings have been drawn from questionnaires distributed at the end of each session and demonstrate the positive impact the weekly women's group had on levels of social isolation and health and well being.

"It’s always good healthy food and I love to learn to make all the different kinds of recipes. I learn to speak more English too"

Monthly Intergenerational

Love Food Sessions The Inter-generational Group was also cross cultural. Taste and Share used food – the preparation, cooking and different ways of serving and eating it - to cross intergenerational and cultural boundaries in a positive, sensitive, enabling and caring manner. This approach

"This kind of group is great for not only learning new

demonstrated that everyone has something to offer, a food of which they are very proud and happy to share.

It was interesting to see some of the younger

techniques in eating healthily, but

family members who had been reported as ‘un willing to participate and to learn to cook’ actually enthusiastically volunteer to chop, grate,

also, to get to know more

mix or grind ingredients. It became clear that there are generational differences in how we interpret ‘food’ and what makes it glorious or joyous. Compelling children, especially girls to ‘help mum’ in the kitchen can lead to adverse

people and interests. It builds

interactions, resistance to learning to cook or eat foods that children see as demanding labour intensive work to make. They would happily opt for a pizza. Pizza sessions were the most popular with this group as everybody wanted to actively contribute at every stage of the preparation.

Unfortunately, the size of the kitchen was a big limiting factor.

community spirit."

Through this group we learned that with the right approach, ‘food’ can be a major contributor to community engagement, the development of a cross cultural sense of belonging and unity between generations and cultures.

16 sessions 10 particpants per session "Socialising and sharing recipes.

Learning from others. It builds confidence."

KEY RESULTS These findings were drawn from questionnaires distributed at the end of each session and demonstrate the positive impact the group had on the behaviour of participants, in relation to food and healthy eating.

I am eating more healthily since using the project

100%

100%

I now feel more confident in trying new foods

"My children didn’t want to eat chapattis at first but once they tried them I have stopped buying any ready made tortillas. The children are just happy to roll them and eat them as they are so fresh and soft.

My family loves it"

Love Food Hate Waste Workshops

Taste and Share offered fun and interactive workshops to help participants to understand how to best reduce food waste at home. These sessions

10 particpants per session

16 sessions

"It is a very good project.

Makes people think of food waste. Cooking with left over ingredients.”

also connected group members with the global issue of food waste. Session contents were adapted to suit the needs of the people coming along. 'Love Food Hate Waste' was a message strongly conveyed throughout all of Taste and Share's activities. In all group sessions there was an emphasis on sharing lots of practical tips and creative ways to save money and reduce kitchen waste in order to live more sustainably.

The food waste workshops led to some interesting debate around leftover foods. This allowed participants to learn new ways of incorporating leftovers or surplus ingredients in new family meals. They also learnt better approaches to freezing for later reuse. Many participants started using their own imagination to make new dishes at home. Not only were these enjoyed by their families but they helped reduce the family food bills. Families actually started looking forward to surprise new dishes prepared with leftovers.

“It was a nice session, we came to know about food & storage. It is very useful information in our daily life.”

“It was a wonderful class to understand about use of food and it gave us lot of knowledge about how to stop wasting the food.

Thanks a lot.”

“Very informative session with good discussion and it led to learning some topics that I wasn't aware of e.g. freezing food types. Great session.”

“Very useful to learn how we keep our things in the fridge and freezer. Thanks, it was helpful and a lot of information.”

“It is a very good project.

Makes people think of food waste. Cooking with left over ingredients.”

Family Events and the Foodness Meal Core objectives of Tasting Change included introducing new healthy food behaviours to BME women, families and children which could last a lifetime.

One of the ways Taste and Share successfully did this was through involvement in community events and the weekly Foodness Community Meal. This successful experiment brought local people, families and workers together, in a safe space to share information on different food related matters such as growing, harvesting, storing, cooking, serving and sharing it. This session facilitated meaningful community engagement and demonstrated that there are ways of effectively reaching the so called ‘hard to reach communities’

After completing their REHIS food hygiene course, three Taste and Share participants were able to prepare the Foodness Community Meal on several occasions, for which they were paid. This was a fantastic result.

Regarding work with children and young people, it has been particularly pleasing to see how positively children responded to this project. In particular, SCOREscotland Knots & Crosses Children’s Club, and the children of Canal View Primary School, both enjoyed the mouth-watering vegetable and cumin gram flour pancakes as well as other delicious and healthy recipes.

Taste and Share also participated in the International Community Tea Party by supporting young people (17 -24yr olds) to organise, bake and prepare new party foods for their friends, families and neighbours. Similarly, Taste and Share were involved SCOREscotland’s Eco Family Fun Day. In spite of the wintry conditions, 102 local people and families braved the weather and came together to enjoy a brilliant range of fun activities and delicious meal prepared with the support of our volunteers. It was a truly fun filled day that promoted togetherness. It was also a great celebration of all the great work delivered over the year.

canal View Primary 30 kids

Taste and Share Launch Event The Corn Exchange 280 Participants Garden Kitchen Valentine Pop Up 40 Particpants ECO Friendly Family Day 102 participants

InternationalTea Party 57 participants

Garden Kitchen Valentine Pop Up 40 Particpant

ECO FREINDLY FAMILY DAY

TASTE AND SHARE, CREATE & THE GARDEN KITCHEN Chickpea Curry, Rice and a selection of Garden Kitchen Salads

102 PARTICIPANTS "So many fun activities and the food is absolutely delicious!

"What a fabulous day, there are so many things going on here, its great."

9 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

Equity Issues and Good Practice A workshop for the 'Tasting Change' MultiAgency Partnership exploring power inequalities and their impact on behaviour, relationships and service provision was held on 28th February 2019.

This one-day workshop gave participants an opportunity to broaden their understanding of these complex issues and to consider ways to use their own influence to build positive work relationships and improve service provision in our diverse communities.

The training facilitated shared learning in order to enhance our practice and support Tasting Change outcomes. It was something that all partners had agreed to commit to as part of our Aspiring Communities bid which asked how we would address the theme of Equal Opportunities.

End of training verbal feedback was very positive. In summary, for most people, that was the first time they had participated in such a thought provoking workshop and it was an eye opener for them. It was agreed that it would be beneficial to have regular training on equity and diversity.

Journeys with Tasting Change ENCARNI'S STORY

Encarni, who is originally from Spain, joined the Women’s Only group 3 months ago. She found out about it through the Mums into Business

I have formed new

group, she also attended the weekly Women's group and The WAWWE cooking group.

friendships

Her first impressions of the group were quite

and bonds. I

negative, she felt a bit out of place and was surprised at the amount people speaking in different languages to each other. This was addressed and resolved by the development worker who noticed her discomfort and after some explanation and mediation between her and the other women, this initial barrier was

feel protected and like I am part of a

successfully overcome.

family" Encarni came to really enjoy the group and felt very much included and very welcome. She enjoyed learning about different countries and interacting with people from different cultures.

She felt like being in the group has provided her with an ‘education’ in more than just cooking.

Encarni formed new friendships and she has enjoyed learning lots of new specialist cooking skills, such as learning how to make pakora.

Learning new and interesting recipes has given her inspiration to expand her healthy eating repertoire

"you need to get

and she is now also able to use different spices more effectively.

Encarni said that before, she sometimes felt quite isolated, but the Tasting Change activities on

energy from

offer, motivated her to leave the house. She loved the social aspect of the project which she called ‘amazing’ and ‘inspirational’ and stated that it encouraged her to interact with the local community. She also loved that food was a focal

other people

point as she believes sharing food really brings people together and can be an interesting talking

and I get

point.

Encarni stated ‘I have formed new friendships and bonds. I feel protected and like I am part of a family – which I don’t have at home, you need to get energy from other people and I get that here’ .

that here"

SUMAIRA'S STORY Sumaira, 34, is a married mother of two and

"Because of all

joined the Womens Only LoveFood at the beginning of the project. When Sumaira first joined the group she liked it straight away. She felt very welcomed and attended for over a year.

She stated "Because of all of the activities it makes me feel less isolated. It makes me feel good coming here. Its like a big family and I have made lots of new friends" Sumaira also attends the weekly Foodness community meals with her family,

of the activities it makes me feel less isolated. It makes me feel good coming here. It's like a

the Intergenerational group and has just recently joined Create's Mums into Business group. She has also been a valuable volunteer throughout the project, contributing her time and cooking skills at workshops and community events.

Sumaira has recently been working at a ‘Brow Bar’ but is now at the stage were she would like to start thinking about setting up her own business as her confidence has increased over the last year.

The Tasting Change Community Market Days have helped to inspire this idea as well, with the Mum's into Business Group giving her a further 'kick start' Her confidence levels are also being enhanced by the camaraderie of this group and the support network of like-minded women that it has provided her with.

big family and I have lots of friends'

SHADHIDA'S STORY Shadhida who is from Pakistan, first accessed the

"if it wasn’t for

project when she was referred by the income maximisation worker, after she had attended one of the surgeries to get advice about benefits.

this group I would be sitting home

She has lived in Wester Hailes since February 2018 and was new to the area, not knowing anybody. She was also very isolated during the week when her husband was at work. Shadhida joined the group at the beginning of the project and has been coming along regularly since April 2018. Since then she has become completely immersed in the project, with the weekly women's group in particular becoming a big priority in her life.

alone. It makes me really happy that I am coming here and giving something back to the

Shadhida played a pivotal role in planning and leading sessions and sharing her recipes, as she is a fantastic and experienced cook. The connections she has made and the relationships she has built with other group members has been quite significant and she has forged a clear role as a matriarchal figure who the other women learnt from. One of the participants, for example, meets Shadhida outside of the group so that her children can be taught the Quran by her. She has also invited another woman to come to her house to be taught how to make yogurt, so she built a social network for herself and the other group members and forged their own community.

community"

The development worker for this group advised that "Shadhida is a great person to have around, she has a lovely manner and a laid back , friendly style. She instils confidence in the other group members which has given her a real sense of purpose within the project"

Shadhida also attended The

Garden Kitchen lunches (and has volunteered a few times) and came along to Tasting Change events and community meals on a regular basis, often chipping in to help with whatever needed to be done.

FARMINA'S STORY

"not only has (my

Farmina, who is Bangladeshi, first accessed this service after meeting a interpreter who also works for Score Scotland. This worker referred

involvement in the project )

her in to the project and came with her to the group initially to support her.

She has lived in Wester Hailes for 1.5 years but has not accessed any community projects in the

increased my confidence, it has made me

area until very recently because she lacks confidence due to English not being her first

feel like I can

language. This has proven to be a huge barrier for her. When she engaged with Taste and Share and met the development worker who manages the project, however, they quickly built up a rapport and she found the confidence to come to the group unaccompanied in quite a short space of time.

Farmina, who has a Masters in Political Science came along to the Food Waste Workshops to start with and then progressed to coming along to the weekly Women’s Only Group. Before entering into the project she felt very isolated

do anything now"

during the week when her children are at school. Farmina absolutely loves cooking and is great at it so she really enjoyed being able to share her skills and passion for it at this group. She also really wants to improve her English and her involvement in the project has helped her with this, and with her confidence to speak it out loud, which is a fear she has worked hard to overcome.

Farmina was one of the participants who took part in the REHIS Food Hygiene Course and with interpreter support, passed it with top marks. This has also been a huge boost to her confidence and she and her husband, who is a Chef have worked together to prepare one of the weekly community meals served at WHALE Arts. She also quickly progressed to becoming a Tasting Change Volunteer which has meant a lot to her. She stated that her involvement in the project has ‘not only has this increased my confidence, it has made me feel like I can do anything now’

PAULA'S STORY Paula Kenza 49 who lives in The Calders, is a single mother of 6. Paula found out about the project through Score Scotland at an engagement event at Wester Hailes Library and initially joined Taste and Shares Women Love Food Group which was her introduction to Tasting Change.

She really enjoyed the social aspect of the weekly group as she felt she was learning and socialsing and 'you get a free lunch at the end of it, it was good all round'

Through this Paula has became very involved the project, regularly attending The Foodness

in

Meal and the events are

a great way of getting involved in the community

and connecting people.

"The food is such a bonus and it brings people together and provides so many people with a meal. There is always something different. I have become more aware of healthy eating since using the project and it has given me more ideas, particularly as a lot of the meals are veggie. It has enlightened me to the fact that it might be possible to go vegetarian and still eat really tasty food"Paula has also been attending Mums Into Business for about 6 months.

‘It’s a really good supportive group, also we have such a laugh. We get so much encouragement and that’s why these little markets are good, i can see whether or not I need to change anything. I am not a natural salesperson but it’s just so supportive. What keeps me going is the support and we are thinking about getting a shop and the plaza and brainstorming that. And anyone that is thinking of joining that doesn’t have a firm idea, it’s still a good group to join. When I became a Mum I lost a bit of confidence’ and this group has helped me find myself and an identity again. ‘The Market Days are a really positive thing and I feel like they are just getting started.

Will be good to try them in other locations other than WHALE Art"

Tasting Change has helped Paula and her kids become more involved in the community and be more sociable and has inspired her to cook different and healthier meals. She believe the project has made an impact on Wester Hailes

and brought people together and got them interested in cooking,

and using fresh ingredients.

Paula has attended all the ‘The Film and Food Nights’ with some of her children and thinks they are a great idea. "The kids getting to see a film, whilst eating a tasty healthy meal is brilliant, plus the cinema is so expensive"

Paula's son who is pictured he thought the

attends a lot of the events with his mum stated

Tasting Change project is "Great and Fun"

REHIS

FOOD HYGIENE SESSIONS

Introduction REHIS Level 2 Elementary Food Hygiene is a professionally and nationally recognised certificated course which provides training in the principles and practices of good food hygiene.

This interesting and useful course is designed for all food handlers working in all aspects of the food industry, including: catering/licensed trade, food production and processing industries, restaurants & cafés and for those in caring and voluntary situations involving food preparation or handling. It is also highly relevant for anyone who cooks at home.

These courses were delivered and facilitated by Catherine Fyfe, an experienced Food Hygiene trainer and a Food and Health Development Worker from Edinburgh Community Food. The courses were made available for free for all locals living in the Wester Hailes area. The course takes seven hours in total and includes a short 30 question multiple choice examination. Topics covered are:

Bacteria and their Characteristics The Incidence of Food Poisoning and its Prevention Personal Hygiene and Working Habits for the Food Handler The Working Environment Cleaning Practices Common Food Pests and their Control Food Safety Legislation

We had a total of 5 REHIS sessions. Two of which were conducted at SCORE Scotland.

Catherine from (ECF) partnered with the Food Link Worker from Score to provide REHIS courses for the Taste and Share part of the project.

Many of the participants at SCORE have additional barriers preventing them from attending a mainstream Food Hygiene course. These barriers included language, finance, literacy skills and childcare.

We therefore decided to start off by conducting a ‘Taster’ sessions for participants. The ‘taster’ session was a free one day ‘Introduction to Food Hygiene course’ and not the full Level 2 'Elementary Food Hygiene course'. We had organised three interpreters to come along and support the participants.

The course was from 10am-2pm allowing those with school age children to attend. A creche was available but was not required.

As the 'Taster' session was successful we then decided to move forward and provide two full Level 2 Elementary Food Hygiene courses for those interested.

In total 31 people (3 men and 28 women) participated in total from SCORE. Two thirds of participants either needed limited support or an interpreter's support to enhance understanding. Two were illiterate in any language so therefore sat the test in English while the interpreter interpreted the language. Out of all who participated 1 person failed. This was merely due to the language barrier as they had refused support from an interpreter. She was however determined to have another go and with support from the Food Link Worker she passed. Although she planned to use the knowledge in the home, sitting the test again and passing meant that she felt she was able to pass the knowledge on to her family and encourage grandchildren to follow food hygiene methods more confidently. This gave her a sense of achievement.

With regards to interpreters, we worked with

"I thought it was

Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali and Arabic languages to enable 10 people with very limited English skills to learn and do the test. A further 10 needed limited support. It was a complex arrangement but having the language support meant everyone was offered equal chance of learning and achieving the

great to have the Taster. It has given me confidence that I can actually do

qualification. From this 4 people have now secured paid work in the food sector or similar.

This would have been impossible without the qualification.

this. I knew more than I thought I would."

Since achieving their food hygiene certificate three participants have been provided paid work to cook the 'Foodness Community Meal'.

This has been a great experience for them and

"I am attending this course to

now they are looking for appropriate work opportunities as a result.

improve my knowledge and

Four participants worked in the crèche provided by SCORE. They were very interested in learning more on the topic and will now use

take it to work. The pace of the course

the knowledge when looking after children

is just right. The

under 5.

presenter is great. I would not add

One participant was working in a take away and had been for some time. The participant

anything else to

however did not have the certificate as they

improve the

were illiterate. Help was offered via an

training. What I

interpreter which resulted in them passing with top marks. This was achieved by explaining the

learnt I will use it in

questions and reading out the four possible

my work as well as

answers. The process not only demonstrated to

at home.' Thanks."

them that they can learn but also

demonstrated that with the right approach people have the ability to progress. All they need is understanding, patience and the right support.

Another participant was working as a care assistant but was keen to work in a kitchen. As soon as they had passed the test they began to apply for jobs.

This resulted in them securing employment at the Astley Ainslie hospital. The participant had to go through 3 interviews but interest, perseverance and self-belief landed them the job.

The Calders We worked in partnership with Bethany Christian Trust who provide a Food Bank and a Community Meal for those based in the Calders area of Edinburgh.

"Most of the food we provide to is for children [at the Calder health flat]

We had organised a Food Hygiene session for

We know they are

participants for free to take place at St Nicholas Church in Sighthill.

a vulnerable group so we want to

14 participants took part. All participants were currently working with food in some capacity. 6 women currently provide food to locals at the Community Health Flat at the Calders. While the

make sure the food we provide is safe."

rest had been involved in the Community Meal based at the St Nicholas Church which runs twice a month.

"On the very first day I came to the

All participants were vulnerable local people who had frequently visited the food bank.

course I immediately put

Subsequently, the food bank users became involved in the general running of the food bank and other various food activities.

what I learned into practice!"

All participants passed the test with great scores and displayed a fantastic knowledge and understanding of the content.

One participant in particular was very distressed about sitting the test. They had initially refused to sit it as they believed that they would fail. We allowed them to sit out and take a moment. After a few minutes the participant decided to sit the test. The participant had asked not to be informed of their score. However, the participant did pass the test and was thrilled. They had said they had never passed a test in their life and always felt like a failure. This has now given them a huge confidence boost.

We provided two sessions that were based at the Health Agency in the Health Living Centre Wester

"My dream is to one day become a chef.

Hailes.

I've been wanting to The first session we had 9 people sit the exam and pass.

sit my health and hygiene for ages but couldn't find a

This included two of our Tasting Change volunteers A and G. G was in particular very keen to sit his food hygiene test. G initially attended our 'We Are What We Eat' cooking class with dreams to one day become a chef. The

course. My next step is to see if I can get into college and back to work"

Food Hygiene qualification is essential for those wishing to work in the food industry. G was very

"I want to work in the

happy that he passed his test with flying colours.

kitchen as a kitchen

This therefore gave him more confidence that

assistant or kitchen

one day he'll achieve his dream. At this moment G is still currently volunteering with Tasting Change and has been an asset to the team.

chef. This course is helpful."

demonstrated that with the right approach people have the ability to progress. All they need is understanding, patience and the right support.

Another participant was working as a care assistant but was keen to work in a kitchen. As soon as they had passed the test they began to apply for jobs.

This resulted in them securing employment at the Astley Ainslie hospital. The participant had to go through 3 interviews but interest, perseverance and self-belief landed them the job.

The second session we had 12 people attend and sit the test. Three of the participants had previously attended the 'We Are What We Eat' cooking sessions. The participants were keen to learn more about food hygiene and further increase their confidence in the kitchen. This group also hosted three staff members from the Broomhouse Centre who provide food to older adults in the local area. All participants sat and passed their test displaying great knowledge and understanding.

Why have you come on this course?

Employability/ Work

Volunteering

46%

41%

13%

For Personal Interest

How and When Will You Use What You've Learnt On This Course?

At Home Every Day

For my Family

For Volunteering

To Find Work

To help me make the community meal For my CV

With Clients

To advise friends

CONCLUSION In total 57 local Wester Hailes people attended the REHIS Food Hygiene sessions. This now means that 57 people now have a nationally recognised Food Hygiene certificate which will allow them to further their CV, employability and reduce the risk of food poisoning to the public. This certificate has increased participants knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence.

As Wester Hailes is an area of multiple deprivation many of these participants faced challenges to attending a mainstream costed Food Hygiene course. Additionally for participants attending SCORE they would have been unable to have sat the test without an interpreter or language support.

Tasting Change was able to address and break down these barriers for local people. Providing them with an equal opportunity to achieve their certificate and work in the food sector.

CHAI

INCOME MAXIMISATION CHAI delivers the income maximisation strand of the project.

This was done through weekly advice

appointments at three different outreach locations in the Wester Hailes.

The appointments were accessible to

participants from the other Tasting Change strands as well as the wider community of Wester Hailes.

Overview Our efforts were mainly aimed at helping participants maximise their household income, by ensuring they were aware of

Over the last 18 months we

their benefit entitlements and providing

have helped

help to access them.

Often participants required several follow up appointments in order to attend to

secure

£ 460'000.00

their whole situation.

in financial Through the project about 140 individuals'

gains for

have been able to access welfare rights advice and representation.

The appointments were also used to inform participants about other services

participants who sought welfare

they could benefit from; both within the Tasting Change project and services offered in the local area.

This included

encouraging the use of the community food shop through the voucher scheme.

About 33 participants who I saw for welfare rights advice showed interest or engaged in the other tasting change strands.

rights advice.

Working towards food security: A sustainable dignified approach

By providing welfare rights advice, individuals feel more empowered to make choices and take steps to maximize their household income. Thereby acquiring more financial control in their circumstances and moving toward sustainable food security.

Although appointments are made for one particular issue, once we establish a person’s circumstances, often we are able to identify multiple issues that require attention and support.

Journeys with Tasting Change: Case Study - AA's Story Shashika Heiyantuduwa

AA was referred to us from the Let's Create strand.

She first attended for

advice about her rent arrears, help completing ESA related forms, and to find possible ways to maximise her income.

She was very anxious about her finances and reported struggling to cope.

She explained her house was falling apart and she was struggling to afford basic necessities.

Over several appointments, we were able unpick and deal with each issue.

First, we

corresponded with the housing officer and the council about her housing situation and her housing benefit award.

“As I had no idea

They required

what to do about the help I needed, I was so

recent information to calculate a more accurate award.

pleased to meet a lady from CHAI

We were also able to identify that a change in her living circumstances mean't that she would be able to get more money toward rent costs through discretionary housing payment.

who gave me lots of positive advice on my

We were able to help her make an

application for Discretionary housing payments to cover the extra bedroom charge.

We were also able to secure some funding from a grant application to help cover the

problems and how to solve them, filling in the appropriate forms etc. Many

cost of some much needed redecorating work in her home.

Whilst collecting information for the ESA appeal process it became evident that the client was entitled to PIP. We are currently helping her appeal her PIP award.

AA was successful at her ESA tribunal and won her appeal, her ESA was reinstated.

Without support from CHAI it is less likely that these outcomes would have been secured.

thanks!"

Often, I find that by the time people reach

80% of those

out for advice, they are at the end of their tether and their situations have become close to intolerable. They have very little trust in the process and feel angry and humiliated by the response from the

who used the service agree that it helped

authorities. By being able to offer a confidential, non-judgmental space I feel able to build enough trust to break down

them feel less anxious and

barriers and support people with respect and dignity.

Clients go away feeling less insecure about their circumstances with more confidence in

more in control of their finances.

their ability to resolve their financial issues.

Impact on health and wellbeing:

Gaining an improved sense of control: Stress and anxiety brought on by financial difficulties and instability often exacerbate mental and physical health problems. There is a direct link between helping participants maximize their income and participants feeling an improved sense of control over their circumstances. An understanding of how benefit entitlement decisions are made, how incorrect decisions can be appealed, and what their rights are can help bring a sense of clarity to a process that often seems overly complicated and convoluted.

In helping people identify potential solutions we can add a measure of clarity, stability and control in otherwise chaotic situations. In the end improved financial circumstances and stability give clients the space to

be able to make better, healthier choices and start to access services that would contribute further to their health and well-being.

Clients have reported a sense of relief and wellbeing after having started the process of sorting out their finances.

I don’t get the opportunity to maintain contact with clients after they have achieved the identified outcomes, so it is difficult to observe longer term consequences on health and wellbeing. I have been able to notice small improvements in confidence, ability to trust others and a willingness to engage in other support/activities on offer.

Journeys with Tasting Change: Case Study - AA's Story Shashika Heiyantuduwa

PK was referred in by the job centre, she was in temp accommodation with her children. She had fled an abusive

"I am very grateful for

relationship and had relocated to Edinburgh.

She was trying to reestablish herself in Edinburgh where she had family support.

When she came to us she was already

the help I received I now have my

engaging in other Tasting Change activities, she attended the confidence building

finances

workshops and was working with Score Scotland as well.

under control"

We were able to gather supporting letters from her GP as well as the the health agency who were running the confidence building workshops.

With this help she was won her

ESA appeal.

CHAI also helped her secure grants to furnish her new accommodation when she was offered a council property.

Reducing social isolation and

encouraging participation in other community groups

Through the appointments, I have been able to identify a few participants who would be able to benefit from the activities happening through other strands of Tasting Change, as well as other activities in the community.

Thereby helping them become less socially isolated and able to link in with other members of their local community through these groups.

Often people’s physical, as well as mental health problems, prevent them from being able to access services available through the other strands, as well as in the community. In this situation it is helpful to be able to explain more details about the various activities taking place through the project and to give people more of a sense of what to expect.

Journeys with Tasting Change: Case Study - AA's Story Shashika Heiyantuduwa

AB came to CHAI initially for a benefit check. She had recently moved to Edinburgh and was also feeling quite isolated due to her health issues and moving away from her family in Broxburn.

I supported AB to successfully apply for PIP and a blue badge to help with her limited mobility.

She was interested in local activities and was happy to hear about the the cooking groups run through SCORE Scotland.

She took part in many of

their activities and attended several tasting change community celebration events.

She was very happy to get local community activities and reported

the cooking sessions were often the only outings she made.

Building stronger local community networks

Several people attending advice workshops were interested in becoming more involved in community projects. They were referred on to other strands of Tasting Change. One client who had recently moved back to Edinburgh, said the activities run by taste and share strand were the only outings she makes in a week. She mentioned how it made her feel more connected to her new neighbourhood.

Through Tasting Change CHAI have been giving participants food cooperative vouchers. This helps to increase awareness of and the use of this resource which aims to provide locals with a source of fresh and nutritious food at a reasonable cost. There are plans for the food co-op to become a community-led resource. There is also the possibility of getting involved in the running and shaping of the shop, which could give individuals more opportunity to create and be a part of local community networks.

Additionally, through the partnership we have been able to link the CHAI employability team with possible volunteer opportunities available through SCORE Scotland as well as REHIS training program.

We have also held

information stalls at the community events held through the Tasting change project increasing awareness of services offered by CHAI.

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q1 I have more awareness of how to access help with welfare benefits and debt issues since using the project.

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Strongly agree

100.00%

5

Agree

0.00%

0

Neither agree nor disagree

0.00%

0

Disagree

0.00%

0

Strongly disagree

0.00%

0

Total Respondents: 5

1 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q2 I feel more confident that I will seek help with welfare benefits when I need it.

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Strongly agree

80.00%

4

Agree

20.00%

1

Neither agree nor disagree

0.00%

0

Disagree

0.00%

0

Strongly disagree

0.00%

0

Total Respondents: 5

2 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q3 I feel more confident to seek help with debt issues before a crisis is reached.

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Strongly agree

80.00%

4

Agree

20.00%

1

Neither agree nor disagree

0.00%

0

Disagree

0.00%

0

Strongly disagree

0.00%

0

Total Respondents: 5

3 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q4 I am more able to manage my finances.

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Strongly agree

80.00%

4

Agree

0.00%

0

Neither agree nor disagree

0.00%

0

Disagree

20.00%

1

Strongly disagree

0.00%

0

Total Respondents: 5

4 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q5 I feel less anxious about my financial situation.

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Strongly agree

80.00%

4

Agree

0.00%

0

Neither agree nor disagree

0.00%

0

Disagree

20.00%

1

Strongly disagree

0.00%

0

Total Respondents: 5

5 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q6 Have you ever used a food bank before?

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Yes

No

If so how many times?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Yes

20.00%

1

No

80.00%

4

If so how many times?

20.00%

1

Total Respondents: 5 #

IF SO HOW MANY TIMES?

DATE

1

Weekly for last six months

4/8/2019 12:31 PM

6 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q7 Have you ever had to choose between paying for and eating food or paying for and using fuel (gas and electricity)?

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Yes

No

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Yes

80.00%

4

No

20.00%

1

Total Respondents: 5

7 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q8 Have you ever had to miss out on eating due to financial issues?

Answered: 5

Skipped: 0

Yes

No

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Yes

80.00%

4

No

20.00%

1

Total Respondents: 5

8 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q9 Please add any other thoughts you would like to share about these issues.

Answered: 3

Skipped: 2

#

RESPONSES

DATE

1

What would l have done without a Project like CHAI? Please, please support Project like Chai who have invaluabe STAFF who put their experience into helping people. Thank you all!

4/8/2019 7:48 PM

2

Please thank Shashika, Gika and Lorena and all the support staff

4/4/2019 11:05 PM

3

Thank you for being there.

4/4/2019 5:24 PM

9 / 10

Tasting Change Client Survey

Q10 Would you like to get involved in any of the following?

Answered: 2

Skipped: 3

Cooking classes

Healthy eating sessions

Creative art workshops

Volunteering

Free Food Hygiene Course 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES

RESPONSES

Cooking classes

100.00%

2

Healthy eating sessions

50.00%

1

Creative art workshops

50.00%

1

Volunteering

50.00%

1

Free Food Hygiene Course

50.00%

1

Total Respondents: 2

10 / 10

CREATE WHALE Arts Whale Arts was responsible for the Create strand of the Tasting Change project, with the task of taking a creative and innovative approach to the issue of food insecurity in Wester Hailes.

Aims, outcomes and outputs Looking at the wider project outcomes and taking the view that food insecurity is a problem that extends well beyond nutrition, the Create strand chose to focus on four specific outcomes, increasing social connectedness, increased personal capacity, improved mental wellbeing and improved social circumstances (economic stability and food security). Of all the project outcomes, those were deemed to be both achievable and measurable, given the experience of the Create Development Worker.

The outputs for the Create strand included weekly programme sessions and a set number of shared project sessions, outreach sessions, and monthly events.

The overriding aim of the Create strand was to create lasting and meaningful change in direct response to the needs of the participants who engaged with Create.

The majority of the work went into the weekly project sessions as it was felt that to create lasting and meaningful change, a longer-term strategy was needed.

Two groups were set up at WHALE Arts. Let's Create, a therapeutic art group for women and Friday Mums, which later became Mums into Business - a supportive group for mums and their children, who want to set up their own business.

The Create strand worked closely with the wider Tasting Change project, the creative placemaker and Whale Arts team and a number of local community groups, to deliver a diverse range of shared project and outreach sessions.

Create was involved in a number of events including a series of Film and Food nights, the Mums into Business markets and numerous family playdays which took place throughout Wester Hailes.

Methodology We used a range of methods to gather data and collate evidence on the effectiveness of the approach developed by the Create strand of Tasting Change.

These include standard impact assessment questions, short questionnaires, weekly session evaluations, visual reflection feedback sessions, focus groups and case studies.

Most of the quantitative data is included in a separate report. This report focuses predominately on the qualitative data and as such seeks to explore the issues that are relevant to the participants and to understand these issues from the participants' point of view.

Results The Create section of this report focuses specifically on the activities of the two groups Let's Create and Mums into Business. Details of the events shared project and outreach sessions which the Create strand was involved in are included elsewhere in the wider report.

The results are presented in the form of individual case studies, group case studies, examples of the weekly session evaluations and a few of the standard impact assessment questions.

I feel less isolated since using the project?

100 % of participants in both groups, Let's Create and Mums into Business, reported feeling less isolated since joining the group, both at the midway point and near the end of the project.

100% LET'S CREATE

100% MUMS INTO BUSINESS

I feel more connected to my community and able to take part in local activities?

100% LET'S CREATE

100 % of participants in both groups, reported feeling more connected to their community and able to take

100% MUMS INTO

part in local activities as a result of being a part of the groups

BUSINESS

Have you used a foodbank before?

45% No

Interestingly more women from the Let's Create group had had to use food banks compared to those from Mums into Business.

LET'S CREATE

14% No

76% Yes

MUMS INTO BUSINESS

55% Yes

Weekly group session evaluations Both the Let's Create and Mums into Business groups met for two hours each week. After each session I would write a detailed evaluation which described who attended, what, we covered in the session, the topics discussed, the dynamics of the group, details of any issues that arose and any other relevant information that came to light during the course of the session.

Example of a Let's Create Evaluation

The let's Create and Mums into Business groups both had very different dynamics and this is reflected in the evaluations. While in both cases the evaluation follow a narrative style, Let's Create evaluations focus more strongly on group dynamics and the intrapersonal relationships between group members, Mums into Business evaluations emphasise the topics discussed and actions to be taken moving forward.

Example of a Mums into Business Evaluation

The case studies There are four case studies in the Create section of the Tasting Change report.

The two individual case studies form part of the Journeys with Tasting Change series which chart individual members journey through multiple strands of the wider project.

There are also two group case studies, one on each of the groups set up as part of the Create Strand, Let's Create and Mums into Business.

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE JACKIE'S STORY

Journeys with Tasting Change is a series of case studies charting the

Case Study

progress of individuals who have

Kirsty Frankland

been involved in the project for a significant period of time.

The case studies seek to document each individual's journey through the project and aim to highlight, from the participants perspective, how Tasting Change has impacted on their lives.

TASTING CHANGE

“Tasting Change aims to develop

A multi-agency partnership project

and deliver Supported by the European Social Fund and the Scottish Government, Tasting Change is a multiagency partnership project set up to tackle issues of food insecurity in Wester Hailes.

The five main organisations involved in this innovative cross-sector partnership include Prospect Community Housing, The Health Agency, Chai, WHALE Arts and SCOREscotland.

community-led solutions to food insecurity that strengthen community connections with an emphasis on

Each organisation has taken a different approach to address the issue of food insecurity.

Taking the view that food insecurity is a problem

dignity and sustainability.”

that extends well beyond nutrition and as such, a combined effort on multiple fronts is more likely to result in sustainable solutions.

Prospect Community Housing

“If it wasn't for Stacey (the Tasting Change coordinator) wouldn't have come here.”

I

PART ONE Jackie's involvement with the Project

Jackie found out about Tasting Change when she went to an event at the Job Centre in Wester Hailes and met Stacy, the Tasting Change coordinator. Stacey told her about the art group Let's Create (formerly known as Play with your

“I think Ive got more confidence,

Food) and encouraged her to go along.

more Jackie went to her first session on (date April 2018) at WHALE Arts and has attended regularly

confidence in

throughout the project.

myself, just to After gaining confidence through the Let's Create group Jackie started volunteering at various Tasting Change events.

Jackie was referred to CHAI for support with benefits, issues surrounding housing and rent and support with both applications and appeals for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). She has attended numerous support sessions with Shasika and other members of the team at CHAI.

Jackie was also referred to SCOREscotland for advice on energy efficiency within her home and received a grant to get carpets laid in her flat.

Since joining the Let's Create group, Jackie has made many new friendships and her confidence has continued to grow. She has joined Stitching Time, a group run by WHALE Arts and has become a member of Mums into Business, another group established as part of the Create strand of the Tasting Change project.

do things that I don't normally do.”

PART TWO A little bit about Jackie

Originally from Muirhouse Jackie who is now in her 50's, has lived in Wester Hailes for 20 years One of six children herself, she herself has two children and four grandchildren. She is close to her son who lives locally but does not have frequent contact with her daughter and grandchildren.

Jackie has problems with her physical mobility and struggles with mental ill health. She has restless leg syndrome which causes frequent cramps in her lower legs and severe back pain. She also suffers from anxiety, depression and panic attacks due in part to the significant trauma, including rape, domestic violence and psychological abuse. which she has experienced in her life.

The effects of these traumatic events have been further compounded by the loss of supportive figures at key points in Jackie's life. Jackie's grandmother died shortly after her son was born and she lost her mother the following year. In the last 5 years, Jackie has lost both her brother and her sister who Jackie cared for until she died.

“My mind's no old but my body is.

It's really

Jackie's physical and mental health problems have severely impacted her ability to work leaving her reliant on benefits and often in a state of financial crisis.

frustrating knowing I can't do all what I

Jackie came to the Tasting Change project living with the harsh reality of food insecurity, often faced with the choice of feeding herself or heating her home and struggling with feelings of loss

used to do.”

isolation and depression.

PART THREE Jackie's Journey

I met Jackie in my first session as the new facilitator of the Let's Create group. There were two ladies in the group at that time, Jackie and Sam who had both been part of the group since it started in March 2018.

I was struck by how kind, helpful and welcoming they were towards me and also how quickly they opened up, talking freely about deeply personal issues and their struggles with physical and mental ill health.

In the first sessions, we explored what sorts of creative activities the ladies would like to do and how best to structure the sessions. Previously the group had made soup together, made artworks with food and shared a meal at the end.

Sharing a meal with the group was very important to Jackie but both ladies were keen to explore other art activities and less interested in actually making food or making art with food.

Together we decided to change the name of the group from Play with your Food to Let's Create.

“If we get more

Both ladies felt the original name to be a bit childish and somewhat inappropriate within the context of food insecurity,

Jackie was particularly pleased to be involved in

involved in the club it make us more able to

the decision-making process which later transpired to be crucial in imparting a sense of ownership of the group.

In the early sessions, the themes of fear and anxiety seemed predominant. I noted a marked tension between Jackie and Sam with both

come to the club we're more involved in it.”

ladies appearing to vie for my attention, frequently interrupting and talking over each other.

Within a few weeks, however, the dynamic had changed dramatically, the ladies developed a close bond and took time both listening to and supporting each other.

It became clear early on that Jackie was in need of more support both financial, emotional and in relation to mental wellbeing. It was also apparent that Jackie was unlikely to seek out help for herself, due in part to a fear of authority figures, a lack of self-confidence and being unsure where or to whom to turn for help.

I referred Jackie to Sha from CHAI, for help with financial issues and she set up a meeting with Jackie at WHALE Arts, a place Jackie new and was comfortable coming to on her own.

I set up and accompanied Jackie to a first appointment at the Health Agency to discuss options including counselling which she signed up

“It got me out

for.

to start, then I Over the next few weeks we engaged in a range of activities including gardening - we took a small

came and

plot in the garden to plant lettuces, painting with coffee and decorating ceramic bowls.

kept going

Although initially sceptical about working outside,

and now I

stating that she had no interest in gardening, Jackie took to it quickly and was thrilled that her

don't want to

lettuces seemed to grow much quicker than anyone else's.

A real sense of camaraderie developed between the two group members who seemed to enjoy the mix of creative activity and time outdoors.

miss it.”

When a new lady joined the group, the two original members, having formed a close bond, were anxious about how she would fit in. Despite this Jackie welcomed her warmly and shared her own experiences of depression which was a great comfort to the new lady with battles with depression herself.

We moved from simple easily controlled activities to a more fluid less structured session on abstract painting. I was not sure how the group would react to this but Jackie seemed to flourish within a less structured environment.

Jackie launched herself into the work creating image after image and using a wide range of techniques. She was not particularly focused on the end result which enabled her to get deeply into the process, however, she was both excited and surprised by some of the images she produced.

We moved on to using tie-dye and shibori dying techniques. Again Jackie worked very quickly and became absorbed in the process. She reflected in a later session that the tie-dye and shibori session

“A big part of

was definitely one of her favourites.

the attraction

Jackie took some of the spare T-shirts, T-towels

was the mystery

and fabric dye home and continued to work with this technique and develop her skills outside of the

- not knowing

group.

what sort of

While Jackie self-confidence seemed to grow

pattern or

rapidly within the group, difficulties with her physical and mental health continued to trouble her. She hurt her shoulder, began experiencing chest pains, breathlessness and increased trouble with her leg.

image would emerge.”

Over the summer months, we worked exclusively outside and went on trips to the beach and a local cafe. The Beach trip was a highlight for Jackie who

What did you like most about

said she had not been to the beach in 20 years.

the beach?

The ladies collected shells and stones which they used in later session to create mosaics. Despite Jackie claiming that she was not good at patterns,

“The thrill of

she spent time mixing paint with the grout to create a fabulous mosaic which in the end she was incredibly proud of.

At the end of the summer, Jackie had the

finding things and not knowing what I might

confidence to join another group, with Sam, alongside Let's Create. She had also begun volunteering at some of the Tasting Change events.

find, the unknown and the wonders of nature.”

Jackie's struggles with anxiety, her physical problems and financial difficulties continued throughout the summer. Her benefits were stopped and she went without heating for weeks as she had no money for gas and often skipped meals.

Jackie missed a number of sessions due to being too anxious or breathless to come out. In the sessions, she did attend she seemed more withdrawn and physically weaker, a likely result of being undernourished.

Jackie had another session with Sha from CHAI and her benefits were reinstated shortly after. This had a huge impact on her mental well-being which was evident by her cheerful interaction with other group members

After the summer we had a number of new members join the group, which grew rapidly from three ladies to nine in the space of just over a month.

This altered the group dynamic considerably

“I loved the

causing tension between some members. Jackie however, reacted warmly to each new member,

tie-die and

taking a neutral position when issues arose and seemed keen to be on good terms with everyone in

being outside

the group.

in the summer

Having joined the Stitching time group with Sam as well as Let's Create, Jackie was now working on a

doing the

range of projects at home, Trying out numerous techniques including sewing, knitting and tie-dye.

painting,” I encouraged Jackie to join the Mums into Business group as her work was unique, creative and sellable. She was reluctantly claiming she had no confidence nor any idea about business but she did keep working on her own projects.

Left: Jackies pompom rug

Below: Making soap Within the group, we worked on a range of new activities including candle making, soap making, pottery and decoupage. We also revisited some of the previous activities such as mosaics.

Jackie embraced each activity, always willing to try new things, As usual, she worked quickly, more focused on the process than the end result often making multiple pieces in a single session.

Jackie did not enjoy the second mosaic activity.

She struggled to focus in the session and said she didn't like her piece and didn't even want to look at it. The uneven grout effect which had worked so well in her first mosaic with shells did not, she thought, look as good with tiles.

Despite encouragement from other members, one of whom claimed that Jackie's mosaic was her favourite, Jackie did not seem at all happy and later disclosed that she had been for her ESA

(Employment Support Allowance) assessment which had caused severe anxiety and left her worried about her financial security with the possibility she will lose this benefit.

The run-up to Christmas was a challenging time for Jackie. She failed her ESA assessment, had her benefits stopped and was again left with no money, no food and no electricity or gas. She had another assessment for her PIP (Personal Independence Payment) which again caused her severe anxiety.

I made sure to bring extra ingredients each week so Jackie could take some to cook at home. I offered her vouchers for the food bank, which she didn't want as it was difficult for her to carry the food home. I also said I could pick up emergency food boxes for her if she needed and she assured me she would let me know.

The other group members, particularly Sam, were very supportive offering help, advice and comfort.

Jackie seemed greatly cheered by their efforts. I offered to write Jane a letter in support of her appeal for ESA Allowance and arranged more sessions with Sha from CHAI.

“If your stuck in the house you don't meet anyone so therefore when

Despite her difficulties, Jackie continued to engage actively in the sessions. She also increased her volunteering activities at various Tasting

your here you meet other people and

Change events in the run-up to Christmas. Rather than withdrawing as she had done in the past, Jackie kept herself busy, remained close to the friends she had made in the group, receiving support from them and the wider Tasting Change team.

even if you don't see them again after the group they are friends, and they're still

Jackie also decided to give the Mums into Business group a try and felt that taking part in the Tasting Change Christmas Market would be an opportunity to try and make some money before Christmas.

classed as friends.”

"It was scary like, not knowing if I'd sell anything but in the end it was ok, I sold a few things.”

Jackie was incredibly nervous but had a range of goods to sell including tie-dye tea towels, hand made cushions and her pom-pom rug. Although she did not sell as much as she'd hoped, she did make

£ 30

and got a commission to make a smaller pom-

pom rug from a lady who couldn't quite afford the big one.

The energy of the other Mums into Business group members was infectious. The event had given everyone's confidence a boost and Jackie agreed to join the group in January, after the Christmas break.

When the Let's Create group started up again after Christmas Jackie was delighted, she explained how much she had missed it and had even wanted to come in on Christmas day (which was a Tuesday, the day Let's Create usually met). She had applied for Universal Credit over the break and was hopeful that her benefits would be sorted out soonoon.

The following week was her birthday. She surprised us all by arriving smartly dressed and with a new haircut, claiming that she felt like a new woman.

Jackie worked well in the following sessions where we explored origami book making, marbling and various printing techniques.

True to her word Jackie joined the Mums into Business group. Although she admitted to feeling terrified and completely out of her depth in the first session, she participated in three more markets, held at WHALE Arts where she set up a stall selling her cushions.

From a monetary perspective, the markets at WHALE Arts were not hugely successful however the confidence gained and the levels of energy and enthusiasm displayed by individuals and the group as a whole, grew exponentially.

Above: Jackie on her birthday with new haircut

Right: Jackie's

cushions

on sale at the Mums into Business Valentines Market

In the Let's Create group we had Eleanor Thom from the Edinburgh International Book Festival deliver a couple of workshops on storytelling which she hoped to record as part of the Citizen Project.

Jackie's first comment, when the workshop had been explained was,

"This isn't really for me."

And when, after coming up with a tiny story, she was asked if she'd like to record this she replied,

"I couldn't do that, I wouldn't be able to if I was put on the spot."

Despite this Jackie told a number of stories to the group and within a short while was confidently recording her stories with Eleanor.

Mums into Business were working with documentary filmmaker Rodrigo Courtney on a project about revolutionary acts. Jackie was very enthusiastic and talked confidently on camera.

Above: Jackie taking part in the documentary film about revolutionary acts.

Right: Jackie recording her story with Eleanor Thom

The upcoming end of the Tasting Change project was causing much anxiety, particularly for members

“I don't

of the Let's Create group as at present there is no funding for the group to continue.

Many participants including Jackie have come to rely on the group as a vital part of their support network and the thought of losing it was causing some distress.

Tensions between group members which had been

know what I'd do without this group, I'd

largely absent over the last few months were starting to resurface. Jackie missed a number of sessions due to anxiety, ill health and the worry about her pending ESA appeal.

In spite of everything Jackie continued to focus on the creative activities in sessions and the group became heavily involved in planning activities and trips for the final sessions.

To everyone's delight, Jackie was successful in her ESA appeal and the relief for Jackie herself was beyond measure.

Jackie missed the trip to the parliament but thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor session where we did more tie-dye, shibori and cooked over a campfire. She created a large number of unique and beautiful pieces and was able to help many of the other members with their own creations.

The highlight of the outdoor session was that Jackie rekindled her friendship with Sam which had become strained in the last few weeks, with both ladies experiencing increased levels of stress.

They chatted for hours, long after the group had ended and left the session together.

be lost I think.”

PART FOUR Conclusion and final reflections

Jackie's involvement with Tasting Change has had

“It's brought me

a significant impact on her life. Early on in the project, she stated that coming to Let's Create gave her the motive to come out. After attending the group for almost a year she admits to having a

out my shell and into reality.

lot more confidence and feels more open.

Before I use to go

"I used to hide a lot of thing, had a lot of walls,

to bed feeling

they're coming down now, in the group."

Jackie has come a long way with Tasting Change

thank God that day is over, I just

and has been involved with many aspects of the project. A highly creative woman the majority of her input has been with the Create strand, as a member of Let's Create from the start and more recently joining Mums into Business.

existed, I don't feel like that now.”

Jackie has volunteered at many Tasting Change events and as a result of her efforts has learned a lot about food, cooking and healthy eating.

“It helps you understand

Speaking of the project as a whole Jackie stated,

what your "It's starting to go back in the olden days where people communicated word to mouth, face to face, not by a phone or a

buying and things like sell

lap top and its trying to bring that back again which I think is a brilliant idea."

When asked what she valued most about the Let's Create group she said it was the friendships she had made through the group. Speaking specifically about Sam she said,

by dates, ken like people put things out but its ok to eat.”

"We're like sisters, others think we've know eachother for years."

Jackie said that she had learned lots of new skills and crafts thanks to the Let's Create group and she's had opportunities to try things that she has always wanted to try. Talking about the end of the group she described feeling a bit anxious, with a wee lump in her throat and a sicky feeling in her tummy. She quickly turned this around by joking

“I'm absolutley guttet it's going to end. I don't always

that they (the group) would have to get a cardboard cut out of me (the group facilitator) and

show it

stick it in the corner.

because I'm That Let's Create will still be able to meet for coffee after the group has ended is a real comfort to Jackie and the fact that Mums into Business will be continuing as a self-reliant group means that the social and support networks that Jackie has developed through Tasting Change will continue.

Jackie has been a great asset to the project and it has been a pleasure to work with her.

older.”

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE SAM'S STORY

Journeys with Tasting Change is a series of case studies charting the progress of individuals who have

Case Study Kirsty Frankland Zoe Russell

&

been involved in the project for a significant period of time.

The case studies seek to document each individual's journey through the project and aim to highlight, from the participants perspective, how Tasting Change has impacted on their lives.

PART ONE Sams's involvement with the Project

Sam was referred to Tasting Change by her therapist at the Health Agency. She started volunteering at the Garden Kitchen and later with the Food Co-op, also based at the Health Agency.

Sam found out about Let's Create (formerly know as play with your food) through her involvement

“When I was younger I never even knew what a

with Stitching Time, a sewing group based at WHALE Arts. Again with encouragement from her

healthy meal

therapist, she joined the Let's Create group in March 2018.

was, I’m

Sam also started volunteering at various Tasting

learning wee

Change events. She continued to volunteer both at the Garden Kitchen and the Food Co-op until June

tips from

when she stepped down from the Garden Kitchen to focus more of her efforts on the Food Co-op.

She later stepped down from the Food Co-op at a point when she felt she had taken on too much.

She did, however, continue to volunteer at Tasting Change events for the duration of the project.

Volunteering with Tasting Change has given Sam opportunities to learn about cooking, healthy eating, seasonal produce and how to purchase fresh food at a lower cost. She has gained experience in preparing ingredients, making soup and serving customers. She also contributed to the Good Food Nation Kitchen Table Talk.

Stacey.”

PART TWO A little bit about Sam Sam who is 36 years old has lived all her life in Wester Hailes. She grew up with her mother, father and one sister. Sam was very close to her granny who she described as being like a second mum and she has a great relationship with her dad who is a key support figure in her life.

Growing up Sam was really close to her sister until recently describing her as her main support system.

Their relationship changed when her sister got together with a new partner and moved away from Wester Hailes.

Sam has been together with her own partner for 19 years who she describes as her rock, admitting that without him she would be lost.

Sam has a very difficult relationship with her mother who is an alcoholic and drunk heavily when she was pregnant. Sam suffers from arthritis, chronic pain and carpal tunnel syndrome which she attributes to her mother's abuse of alcohol during pregnancy.

When Sam was 13 she was raped. Sam was alone in the house, while her mother was in the pub. She opened the door to a family friend who then assaulted her. Since this traumatic incident, Sam has suffered from anxiety, depression, panic attacks and an eating disorder.

Sam suffered further trauma at the age of 17 when she lost a baby girl very close to the end of her pregnancy. Her mother who accompanied her to the hospital was drunk and abusive at the time, further compounding the difficulties in their relationship.

Sam left school with no qualifications and dipped in and out of college until her mental health issues made it impossible for her to attend. Sam volunteered with the Thistle Foundation and while she enjoyed the work found the journey there traumatic and had to stop when her panic attacks became too severe to continue.

PART THREE Sam's Journey

Sam had been attending the Let's Create group (formerly known as Play with your Food), for two and a half months before I joined the project. At the time there were two ladies in the group, Sam and Jackie.

My first impression of Sam was of a bright, vivacious and animated young woman. She was kind, welcoming and incredibly helpful, confidently showing me where everything was and talking about the group.

Sam opened up about her personal issues very quickly, explaining about her eating disorder and how she will not eat in front of other people. She said it was important for her to tell me in person, so as to avoid being put on the spot if I were to question this later.

In the first session, we talked about how Sam and Jackie would like to structure the group and what sort of creative activities they were interested to explore.

“I love being Sam said she was not really interested in the food element group, due to her eating disorder but did understand that this was important to others. Sam was happy to sit around the table while others ate and would take a portion to eat later at home.

Like Jackie Sam really liked being involved in the decision-making process. She said that she doesn’t like being told what to do and having an input helps her feel more in control, which, in turn, has a positive impact on her mental well being.

asked. It gets your ideas going.”

In the first few sessions, we explored a range of simple activities including coffee painting, which was one of Sam's suggestions, and gardening, which S was particularly enthusiastic about as it reminded her of happy times as a child helping her grandmother in the garden.

"Gardening takes me back to my Granny - it talks most to my heart."

Sam's love and talent for patterns became apparent early on. In a session decorating ceramic plates and bowls Sam painstakingly painted a series of tiny coloured dots creating a fabulous design. The highly detailed and controlled nature of her work was reflected in her bullet journal, a visual diary that she kept and regularly brought to sessions.

While Sam was very open in the sessions and talked freely with Jackie, she would often come in early or stay behind to talk to me privately about issues in her life and her struggles with food. She said she felt unable to talk about this with others at this stage.

“It was really daunting coming to the first

The reasons for this became clear in a later session when, after bursting into tears, Sam expressed her fear that other group members would judge her which inhibited her from talking about certain issues in front of the group.

Despite outwardly presenting as confident, highly capable and in control, it soon became clear that inwardly Sam was experiencing great emotional distress and was struggling to cope.

Sam, who regularly attended sessions with her Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and with whom she had developed a good relationship, had recently been referred to an EFT therapist.

session, I didn't know what I was coming to. I was so anxious I couldn't stop talking.”

Sam who was now attending two therapy sessions each week, felt pressure from the EFT therapist to confront traumatic issues from her past and to look more closely at the challenging relationship she has with her mother.

Sam felt deeply uncomfortable exploring these issues with the new therapist who she had only known for a couple of weeks. At the time she felt obliged to continue and was fearful her benefits might be affected if she did not.

I felt it important to ensure that the group became a safe space where Sam and the others felt able to bring their issues if they wished; confident that they would not be judged and that they would receive support both from me and the group as a whole.

In the session when Sam disclosed these issues, we were working on abstract painting. Sam began drawing a rope pattern, a design she had been working on at home, saying she didn't usually like paint as it was messy and hard to control.

“I really Sam did decide to give it a try and took her work outside, where she sat quietly in the sunshine painting by herself. Later Jackie went to join her.

love the

Sam became interested in Jackie's work and Jackie, who was far more comfortable with a fluid and less

fact that

controlled way of working, encouraged Sam to explore some different techniques.

you just

Before long the two ladies were working on an image together and by the end of the session with

left us to

much laughter and camaraderie, they had created a number of joint pieces. Sam later reflected that this had been one of her favourite sessions.

it.”

Over the next few weeks, Sam's anxiety and stress levels seemed to increase. She said that she was barely sleeping and appeared withdrawn, rundown and exhausted.

After talking things over with her CBT therapist, Sam decided to stop EFT. In her next session with Let's Create Sam appeared noticeably relaxed and even tried a tiny spoonful of soup in front of the group.

Over the summer we worked outside, doing tie-dye, shibori and mosaics with the shells and stones we had collected on a trip to the beach, We also went

“With tie-dye you get to put

on a trip to the Paddle Cafe, which was run by Sam's uncle.

Despite Sam's fear of butterflies and bugs and her anxieties of being around strangers, Sam thrived in the outdoor environment and embraced each new activity wholeheartedly.

She particularly loved the tie-dye activity due to the patterns she was able to create. She explained that with drawing she usually copied everything but working with tie-dye she was able to create something that was uniquely her own.

When we worked in the garden at Whale Arts, we cooked over a campfire. Even though she claimed she could not cook, Sam took charge of the fire and made food for everyone. This seemed to give her a great confidence boost and I noticed her nibbling the odd bit of food, apparently unphased by the others around her.

On the trip to Paddle Cafe Sam Told us how she felt comfortable and safe with her uncle. She ordered a bacon role sat down with the group and ate. This was the first time she had shared a meal with the group.

your own magic in it.”

Sam enjoyed working outside and the trip to the beach was definitely a highlight but there was no doubt that she was looking forward to moving back inside and returning to the usual routine.

Tragically Sam suffered a miscarriage the following week. Despite this, she came to the group and after explaining to me privately what had happened, she insisted that being here would help her keep her mind off things.

Sam did not tell the others but they seemed to pick up on her mood and responded calmly and kindly towards her. She later confided in Jackie after the session.

In the group, she continued to work on her mosaic, a carefully ordered pattern of shells which she had collected at the beach. She mixed blue paint with the grout and was delighted with the result. She said she thoroughly enjoyed the session and was going to hang her mosaic on her bathroom wall at home.

“Top of my list was the beach because I've not been to the beach in 20 years.”

“I especially love the outdoor stuff, because of my anxiety I don't get outside much.”

About the trip to the

Around this time Sam told the group she was thinking of going back to college. She was not

beach:

quite sure what she wanted to study but had been looking at courses with the open university.

“It was great just to be out for the day, no cares in the

She expressed an interested in mental health, having considerable experience of this herself but had some concerns about funding and whether she'd be able to cope.

world, time flew.”

It was encouraging that Sam's confidence had increased enough for her to start considering future steps, however, her anxiety seemed to increase as we talked over her ideas in more

And about her mosaic:

detail.

I suggested she talk to Sha from CHAI to discuss the issues of funding and I mentioned the

“You know me, I love my patterns.”

organisation Penumbra, which has volunteering opportunities as peer to peer support workers. Sam was keen to find out about volunteering that might help to build up her experience.

This was an

Sam worked well in the next few sessions and particularly enjoyed a ceramics workshop where

emotionally charged session for Sam but she arrived with a clear plan in mind and

she created a moving piece in memory of the daughter she had lost fifteen years ago.

Sam worked slowly and carefully, sometimes scrunching up her piece to start again and often questioning Jeni, the ceramic's artist, how best to join bits together, how to smooth the edges and

the determination

how to remove lines or creases in the flat clay.

to excecute it. She was cheerful in the session but did not talk in detail to the group about her projcet.

Despite the emotive nature of her project Sam was highly focused and appeared to gain immense satisfaction when she successfully completed her piece.

Sam had many ups and downs and would fluctuate frequently from being in a state of excitement and abundant energy to appearing tired, sad and withdrawn. The complex dynamics of her family and a difficult relationship with her mother, which she talked openly about in the group, had a pronounced effect on her mood and state of mental wellbeing.

“Tribute to my daughter.”

Sam finds change very difficult and she struggled when new members joined the group. We had two waves of new members joining us, with three ladies joining in August and another four in late September.

Sam always sat in the same spot which she liked because her back was against the wall, she could see the whole space and no one could creep up behind her.

Fearful that others would sit in her spot, she often spoke abruptly to new members stating clearly that this spot was her's. Tension inevitably arose and while Sam had no trouble defending her space when asked questions about her medication or other personal issues, Sam found it hard to answer and withdrew into herself.

Issues with the first wave of new members resolved after I spoke with the group about boundaries, courtesy and the importance of respecting each

In sessions where

other's right to privacy. Sam soon became friends with these ladies and her confidence in the group

there was tension,

was restored.

Sam's work When the second wave of new members joined,

became more controlled. She

tensions flared up again. One of the new ladies who Sam had known outside the group, came across as being loud, aggressive and quite

focused again on patterns, either revisiting old

possessive over the materials. She frequently challenged Sam which culminated in a shouting match between the two ladies and Sam storming out of the room.

designs or taking time to plan out new ideas.

Once relative calm had been restored within the group, I spoke with Sam outside. S was in floods of tears claiming this lady had been rude to her right from the start, that she knew her and that she was an alcoholic.

Once Sam had calmed down a bit she was able to reflect that the new lady's attitude and behaviour reminded her of her mum, who is also an alcoholic,

“I relate to Harry Potter because

triggering a rush of emotions and leaving Sam feeling overwhelmed and out of control.

Sam did not rejoin the group in the workspace but did stay till until the end of the session choosing to

of J K Rowling and her own struggle with

help in the kitchen instead.

mental health.

Despite feeling anxious about facing the woman she had fallen out with, Sam returned the next week appearing cheerful and in good spirits. She

For me its a way of escaping the

sat in her usual spot and started looking for tyles to create a new mosaic. She found a book on patterns and quickly became absorbed in it.

Sam worked on her mosaic for the next few weeks,

world. I go into Hogwarts and nothing else

borrowing materials and taking them home between sessions. An avid Harry Potter fan, no one was surprised when she finally shared her piece with the group but everyone congratulated her on the quality of her work.

“The only thing that's really hard is change.”

exists.”

Sam became quite unwell in the weeks preceding her birthday. She said she always gets ill at this time of year and explained that her mother lost a baby boy the year before she was born. The anniversary of this loss fell within a few days of Sam's own birthday and always overshadowed her supposedly special day.

Sam had never had a birthday party and the group decided to make a special effort for her. Sam's birthday fell on the following Tuesday, the day the group met, and we celebrated with cake, balloons and presents. A little overwhelmed by the attention Sam never the less enjoyed day, confiding with me later that she'd never had so much cake as the Stitching Time group had also decided to surprise her.

We panned a number of special sessions in the run up to Christmas including soap making, candle making, gingerbread houses and a trip to the Edinburgh Tool library for a woodwork session

Sam engaged fully with all of the activities and

“I loved that

was particularly excited about making gingerbread houses which she had asked about back in the

day, it was a

summer.

bit She was perhaps a little too excited when it came to the baking, accidentally setting the oven on fire.

No harm was done and much hilarity ensued with

overwhelming

Sam joking loudly about being accident prone.

but it was

Assembling the gingerbread houses was a

lovely to

challenge and Sam's elaborate decorations, which included Harry Potter symbols, led to her house collapsing under the weight of its icing. The fact that everyone else's gingerbread house also collapsed went some way to diffuse her initial disappointment about the collapse of her own creation.

actually be made to feel special.”

The trip to the Edinburgh Tool Library was a particular highlight for Sam who arrived for the trip bussing with excitement and joking about her partner's warnings to come back with all her fingers intact.

In the workshop, we all go to make wooden plant holders. Despite declaring that she was terrified of drills, she didn't like the noise and really didn't want to use the drill, it only took a few minutes before Sam was willing to give it a go. She was so

“I loved the gingerbread

pleased with herself that she insisted we took photos of her using the drill and help many of the other ladies when they needed to drill holes.

houses. I didn't expect it to work out but did love doing it.”

The highlight of pre-Christmas sessions, was Sam and the lady who she'd had issues with earlier on, agreeing to put the incident behind them and to move forward on good terms.

Sam facing her fears head on

We had a new member join the group when we started back after Christmas. Despite having struggled over the break, with her medication being changed and worrying about the results of her ESA assessment, Sam managed to contain her emotions and explained to the new lady about her spot in a light-hearted and jovial manner.

Sam found it difficult adjusting to the changed dynamic in the group and while she did engage with some of the activities, she often went back to her bullet journal and sometimes put on her headphones in an effort to shut herself off from the group.

The anniversary of her daughter's death in March caused Sam extreme distress and the knowledge that Let's Create was going to stop when the Tasting Change project finishes in April was only adding to her worries.

Sam's anxiety levels increased as did her tendency to try and distance herself from the group. She often snapped at other members and tensions arose within the group. Her close bond with Jackie seemed to falter and Sam started to withdraw into herself.

I managed to book a room so the group could meet for a coffee each week once the project had finished. I arranged to spend half an hour checking in with them until funding was sought to start the group up again.

This had a huge difference on Sam and the other member's morale and went some way to alleviate the anxiety and sense of impending doom that had pervaded the group at the time.

Instead of dwelling on the ending, Sam became determined to make the most of the last few sessions. She became heavily involved in planning the activities and coming up with ideas for a trip and a party for the final session.

The group went on a trip to the Scottish Parliament and had an outdoor session where we cooked over a campfire and did some more tie-dye and shibori.

The trip to the parliament was not without its drama. One lady got very upset at another's lady's comments. Sam was a great help, playing the role of peacemaker offering comfort and support to the others.

In the outdoor session, Sam took charge of the campfire. She cooked food for everyone, making sure each had their fair share before taking some food to eat later at home.

While she did not take part in the art activity she spent a long time talking with Jackie.

“I loved the campfire and the tie dye, it took me back to when I was a girl guide, I still know how to cook on a fire.”

She opened up about the struggles she'd been having and talked about why she had distanced herself. Jackie was very understanding and the two ladies rekindled their friendship. Both stayed back long after the session had finished helping tidy up and they ended up leaving together.

PART FOUR

What do you

Conclusion and final reflections

value most about the

Sam has been involved with Tasting Change since

group?

the project started, at the Health Agency with the Garden Kitchen and the food Co-op, as a volunteer and as a highly valued member of Let's Create.

“Time away, its When speaking about what attracted her to the group she stated, the art, socialising and getting out but not the food. She feels that she has gained confidence from being a part of Let's Create and has become more tolerant.

"I don't fly off the handle like I used to."

like my own wee world no one can get me in here.

This is my time,

Sam said the best thing about the group was that she felt relaxed, there was no pressure, she didn't

I wish it was

have to take part in activities if she didn't want to and that the teacher was very understanding with her issues.

"I can open up about my past to you."

more than once a week.”

Speaking about the wider tasting change project Sam felt that it brought the community together and for her, a great benefit has been learning to

“I was borderline

cook. Sam now cooks regularly for her partner at home but joked that she was still as accident prone

agrophobic but

as ever.

since coming "I think you (Stacey) taught me to believe in myself in the kitchen, I think when I first came in all I said was I canny cook."

Perhaps the greatest benefit for Sam is that she is now in control of her eating disorder.

"Since Tasting Change my weight is staying steady. Now its smoothe sailing."

Talking about the end of the project and the Let's Create group, Sam said she felt sad and fearful, not knowing what would happen next. she noted that coming to Let's Create is the only way she

to the groups and cooking I got over the agrophobia.

Now I'm on top of my eating disorder too.

I'm in control of it, it doesn't

socialises now and stated that this group was part

control me.”

of her life

"If Kirsty leaves it will suck."

Knowing that Let's Create will be able to meet weekly for coffee and that I will be able to join them for a brief catch up each week goes some way to calm Sam's anxiety about the future. That she has rekindled her friendship with Jackie is another support moving forward.

It has been a pleasure working with Sam who has contributed so much to this project.

LET'S CREATE CASE STUDY

A therapeutic art group for women, building confidence and self esteem through art and the sharing of food.

Let's Create is a therapeutic art group for women with a focus on building confidence and self-esteem through engagement with the creative process and the act of sharing food. The study seeks to explore how the combined acts of creativity and sharing food, when facilitated within a safe and holding environment, can have significant benefits on mental wellbeing and can lead to the development of peer to peer support networks.

Introduction Let's Create evolved from another art group, Play with your Food which was set up as part of the Create, WHALE Art's strand of Tasting Change, a multiagency partnership project set up to address issues of food insecurity in Wester Hailes.

Play with your Food was started in April 2018. The focus was on cooking, sharing a meal and engaging in an art activity using leftover or other food-related ingredients.

The author took over the delivery of the group in May 2018. At this point, there were two members in the group, both women and both with significant mental health problems. They faced many challenges in relation to their physical and mental wellbeing, their financial circumstances and in relation to food insecurity.

After consulting the members it was decided to change the focus of the group, placing greater emphasis on creative activity and less on cooking while maintaining the element of sharing food. We also change the name of the group from Play with your Food, which the ladies found a bit childish to Let's Create, a name they came up with after a quick brainstorming session.

This study charts the development of the group and seeks to demonstrate how facilitating the creative process and coming together to share food within both a safe space and a holding environment, can bring significant benefits to the participant's mental health and wellbeing.

WHALE Arts Wester Hailes

The context Let's Create is based at WHALE Arts, a community-led arts charity and social enterprise which is firmly established as the cultural anchor organisation for Wester Hailes.

Let's Create was set up through Tasting Change, a multi-agency partnership project established to tackle issues of food insecurity in Wester Hailes.

WHALE Arts is a founding partner in the Tasting Change project along with Prospect Housing, The Health Agency, SCOREscotland, and CHAI.

Wester Hailes is an area facing many challenges relating to health, employment, access to services, crime and housing. It falls in the 6% most deprived areas on the SIMD.

The women who attend Let's Create all live in Wester Hailes. They all suffer from varying forms of mental ill health and many have other disabilities and physical problems as well.

Most have experienced significant trauma in their lives and the majority have been referred to the group by counsellors, therapists or other health professionals.

All the women who attend the group are on low incomes, many are on benefits, either ESA(Employment Support Allowance) and/or PIP (Personal Independence Payment) and most have been affected by issues of food insecurity.

Whale Arts, Wester Hailes When the group started there were only two women attending. there are now nine members most of whom attend on a weekly basis.

Wellbeing: Engaging in creative activity: The benefits for mental health & wellbeing

a ‘dynamic state, in which the individual is able to develop their potential, work

Much has been written about the benefits of engagement in the arts for mental health and

productively and creatively, build strong

wellbeing and In recent years the links between

and positive

the arts and wellbeing have been well

relationships with

established (Taylor 2018).

others, and contribute to their community. It is

Evidence for this can be seen in the rise of social

enhanced when an

prescribing, initiatives such as Arts on

individual is able to

Prescription and in the case of Let's Create, that many of the group members have been referred via GP's and other health care practitioners.

fulfil their personal and social goals and achieve a sense of purpose in society'

There are numerous articles and research papers Foresight Mental Capital and

expounding the benefits of engagement with the arts for wellbeing. Key findings from the Visual Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing: Evidence Review (2018) by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, provide evidence to support the belief that engaging with the visual arts can:

reduce reported levels of depression and anxiety. increase self-respect, self-worth and self-esteem. encourage and stimulate re-engagement with the wider, everyday social world. support in participants a potential renegotiation of identity through practice-based forms of making or doing.

Wellbeing Project: Final project report (2008)

Sharing food: The benefits for mental health & wellbeing

"Eating is often a social event that involves active training and embodiment of

There is a wealth of evidence supporting the fact

communicative norms

that the nutritional elements of our food directly

and commensality

impact on our physical health and the link

values"

between a healthy diet and a healthy body is now widely accepted. There is also a growing body of evidence exploring the impact of food on our

The cultural structuring of mealtime socialization Ochs & Shohet, 2006

mental health and wellbeing.

While the meal shared with the Let's Create group

"In these increasingly

was always healthy, usually a simple soup and

fraught times, when

bread, attention was not focused on the

community cohesion

nutritional value of the meal or the potential

is ever more

benefits of certain ingredients for health purposes. The most important factor was for the

important, making time for and joining in

meal to be nutritious, sustaining and shared.

communal meals is More important to us was the act of coming

perhaps the single

together to share food and whether this could

most important thing

have a further positive effect on group members

we can do – both for

mental health and wellbeing.

our own health and wellbeing and for

There is increasing evidence to suggest that

that of the wider

sharing meals can have significant impacts on peoples feelings of wellbeing, sense of contentedness, and sense of belonging within the community.

community.'"

Breaking Bread: the Functions of Social Eating R. I. M. Dunbar

Research conducted by Oxford University with data from a national survey by The Big Lunch identified three key beneficial aspects of communal eating, building wider community and inter-community relationships, making and reinforcing friendships and health benefits that arise from well-formed social relationships.

Looking more closely at the links between health and social relationships and with reference to a large body of research in this area They stressed the important role of friendships and noted the correlation between the size and quality of social networks and consequences for health, susceptibility to illness, wellbeing and happiness.

The act of sharing a meal within the context of Let's Create provided the group with a valuable opportunity to come together after the activity and reflect on the session. As well as reflecting,

"I do like the soup

we used the time to talk about other activities or

factor and theres

particular soups that the group would like to try.

something to do with us all eating together

We would push the tables together to making one big table that everyone could sit around. This physically brought the group together and with everyone sharing the same food this connected the group on another level.

which is really nice and then we get to all know each other again because we've worked in the class

I believe that sharing a meal was a hugely

and we talk about

valuable element of the group. Allowing time to

what we've done in

reflect, relax and share together. This gave

the class and its quite

opportunities for individuals to bond and develop

communal."

friendships and just as important to have a laugh together.

M group member

Setting the boundaries & establishing a safe space Taking over the delivery of an existing group had the advantage of being able to talk with the members about what aspects of the group they liked, what was working well and what aspects they would like to change.

It also gave the opportunity to discuss with the group what issues were most important to them and to set the boundaries.

There were two ladies in the group when I took over as facilitator and both talked openly about their struggles with mental and physical ill health.

They both expressed an interest in exploring a wider range of arts and craft activities and while they agreed that the sharing of food at the end of the session was important, they wanted to spend less time making food and more time making art.

One of the ladies has an eating disorder and was not comfortable eating in front of others. She was happy to take a portion home and understood the value of sharing a meal for the others.

We started by setting out a structure for the sessions. The space would be booked from 9.30am until 1.00pm every Tuesday. The session would officially start at 10.00, with the first half hour for preparing the food - a healthy soup. I would prepare the soup but members could arrive early to help if they wished.

The creative activity would take place between 10.00 and 12.00pm and the last hour was time for tidying up and sharing a meal together.

Having established the boundaries in terms of time and space, we moved on to explore other issues that were important to the group.

Both ladies had survived rape and forms of domestic violence or abuse. They were adamant that this group remain a group for women. While by chance there were only women in the group at this point, it had never been officially stated that this was a women-only group.

Establishing this as one of the boundaries and officially declaring Let's Create as women's group was hugely important to the ladies involved and the first step in creating a safe space.

That the group remain an adult group was also an important issue and that if anyone came late or missed the odd session this would not affect their place in the group.

Another issue discussed was the pressure to perform or engage with activities. It was decided that there would be a creative activity each week but that there was no obligation to take part. Members were welcome to come regardless of whether they engaged or not.

Establishing boundaries and the concepts of a safe space and holding environment is central to and much written about in the field of art therapy and other forms of psychotherapy (Case & Dalley 2014, Waller 2006, Waller, Gilroy, Dryden 1992, Herman 1992, Winnicott 1971, 1986).

It is important to note that this group is not an art therapy group but a therapeutic art group or a group using art as therapy. These types of group are distinctly different, with the main points of difference being as follows:

In an art group/therapeutic art group or group using art as therapy, The primary goal is creating a finished piece of art within a fun and/or learning environment.

Participants are often expected to make use of a particular set of skills that can be taught, practised, evaluated or judged aesthetically.

The facilitator, often an experienced artist may influence the creation of the artwork and often provides advice.

In an art therapy group, The primary goal is the intentional use of the arts for psychological change.

The artwork produced is not intended as a product in itself.

Creating an ugly piece of work or destroying artwork is seen as an important part of the process.

The work produced does not have to be aesthetically pleasing or even finished to be valuable.

While Let's Create is not an art therapy group, establishing a safe space and a holding environment was deemed important.

Considering the wider aims of the project particularly those relating to improving mental wellbeing and increasing social connectedness, it was felt that using engagement in the arts as a vehicle to improve mental wellbeing for a group struggling with mental ill health, was unlikely to be successful without the provision of such a space.

Development of the group The main focus of the Let's Create group was to engage participants in a range of creative activities. While the activities were primarily arts-based we took a very wide view of the term arts and the spectrum of activities explored was broad.

In the first few sessions, we stuck to simple activities such as making paper fans and flowers, working with paper mache and decorating ceramic bowls.

These type of activities, with the exception of the paper mache, not too messy, easy to control and more importantly, participants could see results quickly and produce objects they were pleased with.

That the participants gained a sense of satisfaction with their work was important at this early stage as it helped boost their confidence and overcome the belief, common among many adults who have not done art since school, that they were no good at art.

The paper mache was the exception, being both a messy activity and in our case one where the results were not aesthetically pleasing. However, the two ladies who took part in this session later rated it as a favourite, partly due to the laughter generated in the session and the memories brought up and shared while engaging in the activity.

"I had so much fun in that session bonding with J " (S)

"I felt like a child back in nursery again, I loved it" (J)

As the weather got warmer we started working outside, making use of the garden at WHALE Arts and taking over a small plot to plant lettuces.

A new lady joined the group and while this did affect the dynamic, as the original two members had formed a close bond by this stage, they were quick to welcome her and the group of two soon settled as a group of three.

WHALE Arts runs a summer programme for children and due to this, we were forced to work outside or off-site over the summer months.

This brought both challenges and benefits.

Anxieties arose with the change to the usual structure and routine. The ladies were concerned about losing the safety of their protected space,

where usually, no one but group members was allowed to enter while the group was in progress.

As far as possible we maintained the boundaries of the group, working mainly in the garden at WHALE Arts and going on a couple of trips. We cooked over a campfire in the garden, used some of the lettuces we'd grown in salads and explored various dying techniques including shibori and tie-dye.

The trips were a huge success and a real confidence boost for the group who used materials collected at the beach to work on in future sessions.

Having no choice but to face some of their fears gave opportunities for reality checking. Most agreed, that the perceived fear of working in a less contained environment with the possibility of others/strangers coming in and disrupting the group, was much worse than the reality they experienced while working outside over the summer.

Despite this, the group were relieved to get back to their usual space and routine when the summer programme at WHALE Arts was finished.

New members joined after the summer and the group grew from three members to nine in the space of two months. This dramatically altered the dynamic and holding the group became challenging at points. Conflicts arose as some

members vying for more attention or a sense of

"In groups, as well,

power in the group struggled to find their place

you will observe that

within the larger group. One of the new members who had come with her support worker

members will align themselves with

and did not interact much with the other ladies, left after a few sessions.

allies according to shared values and

Two of the remaining members found it difficult

what is in their best

to tolerate each other and after an argument

interest. Different

during one session, the group split into two

group members find

distinct subgroups. This resulted in the three

ways to stick

newest members, sitting at a table on one side

together."

of the room and the rest of the group all squeezed around one table at the other end.

Learning group leadership: an experiential approach Jeffrey A. Kottler, Matt Englar-

The room was usually arranged with four

Carlson

individual tables set out in a large square. Two of the members always sat at the same table

"Generally speaking,

and the others tended to move around making use of the other tables as it suited the particular activity they were working on.

people will often recreate the same patterns and behaviour

After two sessions with this arrangement, one of

in a group that have

the newer members said that she felt like they

been established as

were being segregated. In the next session, I

templates from their

rearranged the tables making a row of three

early years. This means

tables with just enough space to pass between

that people will create

them.

a social microcosm, an extended reality of

The members spread themselves out across the three tables with the gaps between them giving

what they are used to in their outside world."

enough separation for those who found it hard to be near each other but also a sense of

Learning group leadership: an

cohesion allowing those who felt segregated to

experiential approach

feel part of the group again.

Jeffrey A. Kottler, Matt EnglarCarlson

Shifting the furniture and reaffirming the boundaries of the group went some way to diffuse the situation. Understanding that in groups people often subconsciously recreate the dynamics of their earliest or family group, and recognising that most of the group members had had challenging early lives, we were able to talk about this collectively.

This led to one members understanding and sharing that another member had triggered a highly emotional response when the other's behaviour reminded her of her mother. The other member recognised her own behaviour patterns and tendency to become aggressive whenever she felt challenged. The two ladies resolved their issues and for a time, a sense of harmony and togetherness pervaded the group.

After the Christmas break, one more lady joined the group. Again this posed challenges to the group dynamic and similar tensions and power play arose. This time the group settled more quickly and before long the new lady was accepted and made friend with many of the other group members.

The coming together, sharing food and reflection time at the end of each session played a big part in helping to diffuse any tensions that had arisen during the creative activity. Each week at this point there was a distinct change in the atmosphere of the group. After the hive of activity and rush to clear everything up there was a sense of calm when everyone sat down together to eat.

The ladies left at different times and not everyone ate, some took portions to eat later but sat with the group to talk, sometimes people left after the activity and most weeks they took food away with them. There was always a core of at least four who stayed to help tidy up after the meal and sometimes everyone stayed until the end.

We engaged in a wide range of creative activities including painting, various forms of printmaking, bookbinding, origami and mosaics.

We tried other craft-based activities such as soap making, candle making and using natural materials to make face packs and hand creams and we occasionally invited guest artists to deliver specific sessions.

The different activities and range of materials necessitated different ways of working. Some members preferred the more contained activities such as origami and bookbinding where there were a distinct set of steps to follow and a clear idea of what the end product would look like.

Others preferred a more fluid way of working and favoured printmaking or painting. Those who preferred the less controlled activities tended to be more confident in their own creative process, less bothered about the aesthetics of the work they produced and took more enjoyment from the process than the end result.

Some members really struggled with this way of working and needed support and direction but fortunately, the group members were very helpful

and supportive of each other. They would often team up, with someone who was good a drawing helping others create designs or someone who had worked out a certain origami fold showing the others how to do it.

Working on mosaics was one activity where everyone in the group was able to participate without difficulty. It appealed to those who preferred a more controlled way of working, they tended to produce mosaics with clear patterns or symmetry. Those who worked more fluidly and spontaneously created more abstract pieces and experimented with colouring or texturising the grout.

Making mosaics can be a great activity for groups or individuals suffering from mental ill health. The act of taking broken, fragmented or disparate pieces and bringing them together to make something whole can act as a metaphor for the broken or damaged bits of the self which can be brought together, reintegrated and made whole again.

Ending of the group Tasting Change was set up as an 18-month project, and while efforts were made to secure future funding these were not successful. In the run-up to Christmas, a level of anxiety permeated the group due to the uncertainty of whether the project would continue. We returned in January with the knowledge that Let's Create and the wider Tasting Change project would end in April 2019.

WHALE Arts was keen to amalgamate Let's Create into their adult programme but as yet had no funding in place. That meant that the group would be put on hold and potentially re-started when funding was secured.

This knowledge was painful and hard for the group to accept. Each individual had invested so much, most had made valuable friendships and many had come to rely on the group as a vital part of their support network.

The stark reality that the group was going to end and the fear of losing all they had built up together, caused anxiety levels to rise. Many of the old tensions and power plays started to resurface as the group struggled to accept the situation. Acceptance did not come easy and for weeks the group continued to propose a range of fundraising schemes to try and keep it going.

Perhaps the biggest difficulty was the notion that the group would stop but potentially be restarted at an unknown point in the future. This meant that while we were working towards an ending, it was not a clear cut ending and this served only to maintain a sense of uncertainty and unease.

One thing that was certain, was the fact that if and when the group restarted, I would not be the facilitator. I would continue to work at WHALE Arts but in a different role, which would not allow me to continue running the group. This brought other issues to the surface particularly the fear of change and a reluctance by some members to rejoin the group if, in the future, it was run by someone else.

So many unknowns made it difficult to work with the group towards a positive ending, an ending which if achieved, would go some way to ensuring the significant progress made by individuals and the group as a whole, would not be undone by the temporary dissolution of the group.

After negotiating with the CEO of WHALE Arts we agreed to book a room for the group, for one hour every Tuesday, so the ladies could come in and meet for a coffee if they wished. I would come for half an hour to check in with them and in doing so, maintain the sense of group cohesion while they wait

for the group to re-start. Once funding is secured, I would co-deliver the first few sessions with the new facilitator, as a sort of hand over period, giving time for the group and the new facilitator to adjust to each other.

This had a positive impact on the group's morale and with this came acceptance of the ending of the group. The energy in the group shifted with everyone determined to make the last few sessions great. We went on a trip to the Scottish Parliament, had another outdoor session where we cooked over a campfire and did more tie-dye and shibori, we made hand cream and face packs with herbs collected from the garden and planned a party for the very last week.

Conclusion and final reflections The members of Let's Create, all women from

"I felt nervous, I

Wester Hailes and all struggling with mental ill health, reflected on their time in the group; from how they felt coming to their first session, how they feel they have changed and what they value most about the group.

didn't know where to sit, what we were going to do."

EM group member

Most of them recalled feeling nervous, anxious and unsure when the came to the group for the first time.

Talking about how they have changed as a result of their involvement in the group, they all reported that they have more confidence. Many commented on the friendships that they have made and the sense of belonging to a community.

"I suffer anxiety, I don't think I would've have come if it wasn't

One lady noted that before joining this group she

for my friend

suffered such severe anxiety and agoraphobia that couldn't go any where on her own. Now and as a result of coming to this group, she walks here by herself every week and feels confident to

coming with me, to come with someone you feel

go by herself to other groups and locations around Wester Hailes.

more encouraged and I thoroughly

Another member who always got a lift from a

enjoyed it, it got

friend in the group, recalled at time she'd received a text saying her friend might not be able to come. This had brought tears to her eyes as she felt unable to come without her friend.

me out."

C group member

This same lady has since had the confidence to walk to the session herself on the occasions when her friend was unable to pick her up.

"It's like a wee family. Everyone has their things

When speaking about what they most value about the group, most ladies cited the

wrong with them and here everyone

friendships they have made and the sense of community that has developed between them.

relates to things like that, that's

"Quality of life is improved, greatly,

what the groups,

because we have these problems at

for its a place you

home and we have a certain

feel comfy."

confidence in each other that we can

C group member

communicate with each other and that kind of trust, or something like that and these things are swimming

"It's here, Let's

about your head and we can give

Create, that we

voice to them, then we can diminish

really love, its here

them a bit, then we go back home again and continue from where we

that we really love coming to. We

left off." (M)

come to the meal This same lady has since had the confidence to

on the Friday but

walk to the session herself on the occasions

its still not the same

when her friend was unable to pick her up.

community feel as this group, here

When speaking about what they most value about the group, most ladies cited the

we're just used to

friendships they have made and the sense of

everybody, we're

community that has developed between them.

comfortable here.

C group member

Being a part of Let's Create has clearly had a positive impact on everyone involved, however, the journey has not been smooth. As individuals, each has struggled with their own internal issues, relating to their mental health and the challenges faced in life outside the group. Collectively, they've faced interpersonal conflicts and experienced many challenges related to the ever-shifting group dynamics.

Despite this, each individual has reported degrees of positive change, in relation to their levels of confidence and self-esteem, their re-engagement with the wider social world and their overall sense of wellbeing.

The group as a whole has gone through many transformations from being, in the early stages, quite a close-knit unit, to becoming fractured, fragmented and wrought with tension as it expanded to accommodate more members.

Then overcoming these troubles and in a sense reforming, to become a caring and supportive community in its own right.

As separate, unconnected acts, engaging in creative activity and sharing a meal with a group, can both bring significant benefits for individuals' mental health and wellbeing. When combined and delivered together the potential for positive change can be greatly enhanced.

The success of Let's Create lies not just in the combination of these two acts but also by creating the right environment, a holding environment, a safe space with clearly defined boundaries where participants feel able to bring their issues, safe in the knowledge that they will be listened to, understood and will not be judged.

This type of group has proved invaluable for improving wellbeing in a group of women who all suffer from mental ill health and significant change has been achieved in a relatively short space of time. It is questionable whether this change will be sustained if the group does not continue and the support networks built up, start to dwindle away.

Recent Policy changes have led to a rise in the prescription of social interventions for individuals with mental health problems, many delivered by charities and other third sector organisations. In the current economic climate as they scrabble for ever decreasing pots of funding their ability to deliver these interventions is also diminished.

Long term, sustainable change requires sustainable investment in longerterm projects, without which, short term gains will remain just that, shortterm.

References A systematic review of the subjective wellbeing outcomes of engaging with visual arts for adults (“working-age”, 15-64 years) with diagnosed mental health conditions, Professor Alan Tomlinson. (2018)

Creative Health: The Arts for Health andWellbeing, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing Inquiry Report. (2017)

How Art Changes Your Brain: Differential Effects of Visual Art Production and Cognitive Art Evaluation on Functional Brain Connectivity Anne Bolwerk, Jessica Mack-Andrick, Frieder R. Lang, Arnd Dörfler, Christian Maihöfner. (2014)

Food, mental health and wellbeing, Scottish development centre for mental health https://www.communityfoodandhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CFHS-SDCfood-and-mental-health-bulletin.pdf

Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015, https://www2.gov.scot/resource/0039/00398762.pdf

Social eating connects communities http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-16-social-eating-connects-communities#

The Arts and Mental Health: Creativity and Inclusion, Hester Parr.

The cultural structuring of mealtime socialization, Elinor Ochs Merav Shohet, (2006) https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.154

The Handbook of Art Therapy, Caroline Case, Tessa Dalley. (11 Jun 2014)

What can arts and culture do for health inequalities?” Developing a Culture Strategy for Scotland, Voluntary Health Scotland. (2017)

MUMS INTO BUSINESS CASE STUDY

A group set up in response to the needs and aspirations of some entrepreneurial mothers in Wester Hailes.

Mums into Business is an ambitious project which has evolved in response to the needs and aspirations of a group of local mothers who wanted business advice and support in a context that could accommodate both them and their young children. Taking a unique and innovative approach, the project embeds creative activity in conjunction with business skills and experiential learning, as a means of empowerment and building social capital.

Introduction Mums into Business began as a small group of women who wanted to start their own businesses but faced a number of barriers to accessing conventional business advice and support. These included: low incomes, language, lack of affordable childcare and lack of provision of business advice/support in the local area.

The group was set up with the aim of providing accessible business support and free childcare within an environment that would foster the women's innate creativity and lead to increased self-confidence, empowerment and social capital.

Since its beginning in June 2018, the group has grown significantly and continues to evolve in response to the needs of its increasingly diverse members and the complexity of the challenges they face.

This study outlines the evolution of the project and aims to demonstrate how a creative

"I love coming to this group. My

approach can help to overcome some of the barriers faced by mothers on low incomes, including single mothers and mothers from ethnic

life revolves around my

minority groups who want to set up their own businesses.

The study also seeks to explore how such a model can help plug the gaps in the provision of affordable childcare and tailored business support, resulting in improved outcomes for mothers facing multiple disadvantages.

children but this is the one thing I can do for myself."

EM group member

The context Mums into Business is based at WHALE Arts, a community-led arts charity and social enterprise which is firmly established as the cultural anchor organisation for Wester Hailes.

Mums into Business has been set up through Tasting Change, a multiagency partnership project established to tackle issues of food insecurity in Wester Hailes.

WHALE Arts is a founding partner in the Tasting Change project along with Prospect Housing, The Health Agency, SCOREscotland, and CHAI.

Wester Hailes is an area facing many challenges relating to health, employment, access to services, crime and housing. It falls in the 6% most deprived areas on the SIMD whose figures put the employment rate at 25%, well below the national average of 74%.

The women who have formed Mums into Business all live in Wester Hailes.

They are all on low incomes, most are immigrants to Scotland, some are from ethnic minority groups. The majority speak English as a second or third language - with varying levels of fluency.

The primary motivating factor for most women in the group is the desire to secure a better future for their children. They are keenly aware of the barriers and challenges they face, with some expressing a sense of frustration and helplessness due to the limitations of their current situation.

Barriers to employment Our starting point was to explore the many barriers and challenges the women face and

"Childcare in the UK is already

consider how we might address and overcome these issues within the context of the group.

amongst the most expensive in the

Many women, particularly mothers face barriers

world and

to employment The most commonly cited barrier

childcare prices

is the cost and availability of childcare.

have continued to

According to a survey by Mumsnet and the independent think tank Resolution Foundation, two-thirds of mothers cite the cost of childcare as a barrier to them working more.

rise above inflation."

Family and Childcare Trust Child care Costs survey 2015

According to the Family and Childcare Trust Chil dcare survey 2018, the average cost of a fulltime nursery place in Scotland is

£200.66 per

week. Data from the Numbeo cost of living comparison site suggests that a full-time nursery place for one child in Edinburgh costs

£983.64

per month,

Depending on family circumstances, a range of childcare support options are available however it is difficult for parents to navigate the system and some parents are still worse off after paying for childcare.

Currently, in Scotland, all children aged between 3 - 4 and some children under 2 are entitled to a part-time (16 hours a week) funded place in a council nursery or funding towards a place at a private nursery. The free childcare allowance is set to go up to 30 hours per week by 2020 but many private nurseries are pulling out of this scheme and in some areas, there is not enough childcare available.

The current entitlement to 16 hours per week free childcare does provide a significant reduction in costs however, many council nurseries do not

"Childcare has become unaffordable inflexible and simply

open long enough to provide cover for a full working day. No nurseries run by the City of Edinburgh Council are open for business

not good enough for too many people. Like

between 08:00 to 18:00 which drastically limits

housing, it's one of

some parents ability to work.

the issues in modern life that makes

As a result, many working parents are forced to use private nurseries. These charge in excess of

£6.00 per hour per child where government funding towards a private nursery place is paid at a rate of

£3.33 per hour. For some, this does

not even cover the cost of one day per week at a private nursery. On top of that, the money is paid in arrears, so parents have to pay the full

families feel trapped, dictating the limits of their working practice and personal relation ships."

#RadicalChildcare, Impact Hub website

rate up front and wait to be reimbursed, presenting another huge barrier for mothers on low incomes.

"Children remain mostly invisible in our cities, access to good

There are some interesting approaches being

quality play is

developed. Impact Hub in Birmingham in partner

becoming

ship with Familam have instigated the

compromised and the

#RadicalChildcare movement and have been

Private Voluntary and

working with families to develop co-working

Independent (PVI)

& creche facilities for freelance and nomadic working parents.

sector - the main deliverer of the government’s free

In Scotland, more innovation in childcare is

childcare scheme –

sorely needed. Creative Scotland in their 2017 report Understanding Diversity in the Arts, highlight childcare and caring responsibilities as significant barriers, particularly for women, to working in the arts and creative industries.

is also facing chronic underfunding."

#RadicalChildcare, Impact Hub website

In recognition of this, they are inviting representatives from the arts and creative industries to participate in a research trip to Birmingham to explore innovative solutions to flexible childcare which could potentially be implemented in Scotland.

For many women in our group, moving to Scotland has resulted in the loss of traditional family and community-based support networks. When you add the high cost and lack of flexible childcare options available this not only has a negative impact on the women's ability to work but can also have a detrimental effect on their confidence and self-esteem.

The issue is further compounded by a lack of suitable or flexible jobs, the underrating (of mothers) by employers due to the responsibility for childcare and a general lack of knowledge about their rights.

The language barrier is another significant issue. Most group members are not native English speakers and while many of them are competent in English, they do not have the confidence to match their abilities which limits their possibilities when seeking employment.

On top of the language barrier, many women find their higher education

‐

certificates from abroad are under rated by UK employers leaving them unable to progress in employment and limited to low paid work.

The women in the group rely on a combination of benefits, low paid parttime work and many have had to use food banks in order to feed their families. Most feel trapped or limited by their situation and see setting up their own business as a possible solution. Simple as it may sound, this approach has presented a number of further challenges to overcome.

Barriers to business

Accessing business support

The first challenge that came to light was the difficulty faced by local mothers in accessing conventional business support and advice.

Within Edinburgh, there are a number of free business courses available, including courses run

by Business Gateway, The Prince's Trust Youth Business Scotland (if you are under 30), Cre8te Opportunities and free online courses run by the University of Edinburgh.

For the women attending the group, the lack of affordable childcare, lack of funds to travel and language barriers made accessing these services difficult, in some cases impossible.

A few years ago Business Gateway, in conjunction with Jobcentre Plus in Wester Hailes, offered a series of business workshops with child care provision.

"Being able to access external business support

Despite the success and popularity of these

and advice is

workshops, they are no longer running and when

crucial to starting, run

we set up Mums into Business there were no groups in Wester Hailes offering business advice

ning and growing a business."

/support, never mind the combination of business support and free childcare.

Women in Enterprise - The Untapped Potential FSB 2016

The Impact of earning more The next challenge surrounds the implications of

"Without further

earning more money when you are reliant on benefits. There is a significant lack of clarity on this issue generating confusion, uncertainty and the fear that earning more will result in punitive

reforms to fix Universal Credit, more families -

reductions or the outright cancellation of benefits.

especially lone parents - are likely

The recent rollout of Univeral Credit is further

to face higher

compounding the problem. Having to pay for childcare upfront is just one example of the negative implications for mothers wanting to set up their own business.

rates of poverty in and out of work."

The challenge is how to make the jump from surviving on benefits and/or low paid work, to

Poverty in Scotland 2018, Emma Congreve & Jim McCormick, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

making enough money from your own business to sustain your self and your family. For mothers reliant on benefits, there needs to be some reassurance that financial support will still be available to those brave enough to give it a try.

Without this many will never seek to move beyond their current situation and will remain

"I want to make a business because,

trapped by the benefits system.

look around here The New Enterprise Allowance is a government scheme set up to help people on certain

and my life, I want a better future

benefits (Universal Credit, Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance) to start their own businesses.

for my daughter"

M group member

Under the scheme, participants would have to

"When you're a

give up their existing benefits and would be given

£33

£66

per week for 13 weeks going down to

per week for a further 13 weeks.

Participants would be eligible to apply for a loan but after the six month period would be expected to be making enough money from their new business to support themselves and their families.

Considering the fact, that most new businesses don't even break even within the first year of trading, it is highly unrealistic to expect a new start-up to be turning a profit within 6 months.

Most women in the group feel they would be significantly worse off under this scheme.

stay at home mum you lose confidence and sense of self. This group is like a bridge to getting your confidence back."

P group member

Lack of confidence Perhaps the biggest challenge to overcome was a lack of confidence and self-belief among individual group members and the group as a whole.

Research has shown that women's lack of confidence can and often does impact on their ability to succeed. Many successful female entrepreneurs cite confidence as one of the key traits that are crucial for success.

A 2015 FSB survey of women entrepreneurs found that 22 per cent said that a lack of confidence was one of the most significant challenges they faced when starting their business and 20 per cent claimed that their lack of selfconfidence has restricted their ability to grow.

Capacity and chaotic lives With large families, many responsibilities, language barriers and for some, very chaotic

"I have six children, it is hard to get

lives, it was important to consider the capacity of group members to digest complex information

everything done,

relating to business and their time capacity for

washing, cleaning,

carrying out related tasks.

make food. I would like to make

The main concern was not to overwhelm the

a business maybe so

women and risk them losing interest. The challenge was to find a way to deliver the

mething with

content that was both engaging and easily

cooking. It is hard

digestible.

just now but I love c oming to the

The prohibitive cost of rental premises Another obstacle that came to light when we got further along with the project, was the prohibitive cost of local shop premises and a lack of flexibility on the part of shop landlords to consider alternative approaches.

There are a number of vacant shop spaces in the Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes, an ideal location for local mothers wanting to set up their businesses, however, the average rental cost for a small unit in the Plaza is

£1000 per

month with a five-year lease. Even collectively, this is well beyond the means of Mums into Business members.

group."

EM group member

Initial enquiries with local shop landlords to explore creative approaches such as a shop share, rent a shelf or cooperative models have so far proved unsuccessful.

Summary Although many of the aforementioned barriers were evident from the start, others have come to light during the course of the project. What has been evident from the outset is a clear gap in the market for a radically different approach to the provision of business support and childcare, particularly for mothers facing multiple disadvantages.

What follows is a brief description of how the group has evolved and what actions we have taken to overcome or circumvent the numerous challenges faced in the process.

Evolution of the group and defining what works Initially, the group was small. Mothers and

"Thank you Mums

children shared a space and we focused on

into Business you

creative activities. Group members were keen

all make me really c

to try a range of arts and crafts with a view to developing products that they could later sell.

onfident and strong. I am really h

Embedding creativity as a fundamental part of

appy in the

the process has had a significant impact on the

group. Mums into Bu

success of the project so far. Engaging the

siness always

group in creative activities at an early stage had a number of benefits. It was a great way to

help each other

help group members overcome insecurities,

and so much

facilitate discussion and break down barriers.

positive energy"

N group member

This, in turn, helped the group to bond quickly, boosted confidence, morale and most

“Research suggests that 900,000 more

importantly instilled a sense of fun.

businesses would be While each woman in the group is working

created if the UK

towards setting up her own business, the close

achieved the same

bonds, high levels of creativity, energy and

level of female

enthusiasm have led to a feeling of shared

entrepreneurship as

purpose. This and the incredible levels of support the group give each other have been instrumental in driving the group forward.

The fact that we catered for children made it possible for the mothers to attend but as the group grew it became harder to manage both mothers and children together. Setting up a free creche was a turning point for the group. The provision of free childcare has been a crucial aspect of the project without which it could not have happened.

Providing the mums with their own space; and time away from their children, had a huge impact on their ability to focus. It helped them bond as a group and develop a new collective identity as mothers who were on their way to becoming successful entrepreneurs.

The next vital step was securing expert business advice. We contacted Business Gateway who sent Yvonne Bostock to deliver four workshops covering business planning, marketing, finances and building a successful business.

in the US."

UK Women’s Enterprise Taskforc e, Greater Return On Women’s E nterprise

It quickly became clear that conventional delivery methods were not going to work with our group. Yvonne picked up on the issue of capacity and was able to tailor the content of her workshops accordingly.

Fortunately, Yvonne was taken with the project and agreed to continue working with us beyond her initial workshops. Together we structured sessions to include bite-size nuggets of business advice combined with creative activities relating to aspects of setting up a business.

Tailored business support has been paramount to the success of the project.

Being mindful of each individual and the groups capacity to take in and digest information, then modifying the content appropriately has allowed us to work and engage with a diverse range of individuals.

Crucially this approach has enabled us to offer complete inclusivity and ensured that the women are not over faced or overwhelmed by complex information.

Inviting guest experts and using the expertise within the group have been key factors in the groups' development. Lorna Robertson from Wester Hailes Jobcentre Plus attended a number of our sessions is now working in partnership with us.

One of our members is a skilled designer and is helping others design logos and individual business cards. Another member with a background in journalism has written a poem about the group which she has turned into a rap. The group have been practising and plan to make a music video as a way to promote the group.

We have been working with a documentary filmmaker who is creating a short clip about Mums into Business, to be used for promotional purposes, Some of the group members have contributed to one of his documentary projects about revolutionary acts.

These highly creative but perhaps less conventional business-related activities have had a dramatic impact on individual members levels of self-confidence and have been hugely beneficial as fun-filled group bonding exercises.

Developing skills through experiential learning is another key aspect of our approach which includes providing opportunities to test the market in a risk-free environment.

In December 2018 the group had their first big opportunity to do so at the Tasting Change Festive Market. It was a resounding success and another phenomenal boost to the group's confidence.

Since then Mums into Business have organised a Valentines Market, an International Women's Day Market and have more markets planned at WHALE Arts. They have been granted a temporary trading licence to hold a market outside the Westside Plaza in Wester Hails and are applying for a market operators licence so they can hold a monthly market at WHALE Arts.

Moving beyond market stalls the group are

“We have proved our

seeking to secures shop pemises and are looking

selves, we are self s

into the idea of a shop share model, where four

ufficient, we can pla

or five small businesses could operate from the same premises offering different goods and or services at different times. This would allow a certain level of flexibility in terms of time constraints and childcare arrangements.

n and have a market done in the wink of an eye"

S group member

Perhaps, more importantly, it would mean joint rather than individual responsibility for rent and overheads going some way towards minimising risks.

Another line of enquiry is a rent a shelf model where individuals could rent shelf space within an existing shop or business again providing opportunities to reduce costs and minimise risk.

We are currently in meetings with local councillors and MSP's to discuss the prohibitive cost of rental premises and business rates and are exploring creative ways to overcome these barriers.

Looking to the future we are exploring how best to structure Mums into Business and are looking at the benefits and implications of becoming either a limited company, social enterprise or a community partnership.

Moving forward, Mums into Business are taking steps to become a selfreliant group. The primary motivation for this is due to funding, however, the group is getting to the point where taking responsibility and driving themselves forward will bring certain benefits.

The Tasting Change project comes to an end in April 2019 and does not have future funding. WHALE Arts would like to amalgamate Mums into Business into their adult programme but as yet have no funding in place to do so.

The group are determined to continue and becoming self-reliant opens up possibilities for other funding streams. Acting independently, Mums into Business have recently received

£5000

from UnLTD to continue the group

after Tasting Change project comes to an end.

It is hugely encouraging that the group are taking responsibility and driving the project forward on their own, however, it is clear that they will continue to need much support and guidance. WHALE Arts is looking at ways they can continue to support the group while future funding is sought and both Yvonne Bostock and Kirsty Frankland will also continue to support the group.

Conclusion Setting up your own business is always a challenging process. For mothers, the challenges are even greater and for the women in our group, a lack of affordable childcare, low incomes, low confidence, language barriers and the absence of flexible business support in the local area, present barriers that for many, may seem insurmountable.

From the outset Mums into Business has been a highly ambitious project. Worki ng with mothers to develop a unique approach that is creative, flexible and sensitive to both their situations, capacity, needs and aspirations has been fundamental to the success of the project so far.

Embedding creativity as an integral part of the process is central to our unique and innovative approach. By maintaining an atmosphere of fun while blending bitesize nuggets of business advice with opportunities for experiential learning and drawing on expertise from within and out with the

group, we have seen confidence levels and skills development increase exponentially.

Despite phenomenal progress, the question of how to make the jump from being reliant on benefits to running a successful, sustainable business that's generating enough profit to support a family remains unanswered.

Together with Lorna Robertson from Jobcentre Plus we are exploring issues surrounding Universal Credit and the benefits system as a whole. The fear of being penalised for earning more and a lack of clarity on this issue remains a massive barrier and existing schemes such as the New Enterprise Allowance risk pushing some mothers further into poverty.

Working in partnership we see a huge opportunity to develop our approach into a model which could be replicated and potentially complement schemes like the New Enterprise Allowance.

“My first sale at

However, to truly overcome these barriers there

Mums into Business

needs to be a realistic level of financial support

Market, so happy,

for mothers who want to try and set up their own businesses and an understanding on the part of policymakers of the depth and complexity of the barriers faced by mothers on low incomes facing multiple disadvantages.

thank you to my first customer""

N group member

References Council nurseries 'not open long enough' for working parents. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-43116021

Exploring Parenting and Play in the 21st Century, Famalam http://www.famalam.org/about

Family and Childcare Trust Childcare Survey 2015.

Family and Childcare Trust Childcare Survey 2018.

Greater return on women's enterprise. (GROWE) The UK Women’s Enterprise Task Force’s Final Report and Recommendations, Alexander, Pam and Stone, Glenda and Ahmad, S and Carter, Sara and Dwyer, Val (2009).

Impact Hub #RadicalChildcare https://birmingham.impacthub.net/mission/radical-childcare/

Maximising women’s contribution to future economic growth, Women’s Business Council June 2013.

Poverty in Scotland 2018, Emma Congreve & Jim McCormick at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Radical Childcare Research Trip to Birmingham, Creative Scotland 2019.

‘Supporting high-growth potential women entrepreneurs’, World Bank (2004).

Understanding Diversity in the Arts, Creative Scotland 2016.

‘Universal Credit: Childcare’ report, Work and Pensions Select Committee, December 2018.

Women in Enterprise - The Untapped Potential, FSB report 2016.

Women Entrepreneurs Survey, FSB July 2015.

Women in Employment Advancing Equal Opportunities Conference Report 2015.

EVENTS Over the course of the project Tasting Change either participated in, or coordinated approximately 40 events and community meals reaching a wide audience and engaging the local community in inclusive food and arts based activities. The provision of tasty meals and interactive workshops enhanced the events, acting as vehicle to bring people together and providing the Tasting Change volunteers and participants with the opportunity to get involved in a variety of fun, informative and interesting events, enabling them to widen their social circles. These events also raised awareness of Tasting Change, its activities and allowed the workers to build a presence and connect with local people.

COMMUNITY MARKET DAYS The Community Market Day idea grew from a successful pop-up market event held in September outside the Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes. The Tasting Change team wanted to introduce the idea of a market in the area and so set up various stalls providing free food, a pop-up shop, an arts and crafts stall and BBQ.

The popularity of this event and the feedback received was phenomenal and sparked the idea for regular Community Market events. The Tasting Change team hosted a Festive Market at the Health Agency in the run-up to Christmas and Mums into Business, part of the Create strand of Tasting Change, has hosted a further three Market Days at Whale Arts.

To celebrate the success of the project and to support Mums into Business moving forward, Tasting Change held a Community Market Celebration Day in April 2019. This marked the launch of their first outdoor market and these will will continue on through this group who will use them as a platform to expand their businesses and connect with other business owners.

SEPTEMBER

COMMUNITY MARKET DAY "Food was lovely, made me think about different recipes."

150 PARTICIPANTS

"I thought it looked good, plenty of positive vibes and locals clearly liked it a lot."

"My kids loved the art table!"

"So friendly, I loved it and I wish there were more events like this."

9 STALLS 3 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

FESTIVE MARKET

120 PARTICIPANTS

"I loved the market because we are beginner entrepreneurs and the community is the best place to try things out."

"It was fast paced, productive and lots busier than I expected. I got a lot

14 STALLS

more confidence that what I had."

"I didn’t sell anything but I learnt a lot and I was happy seeing my friends sell some things."

7 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

VALENTINES MARKET

"We have proved ourselves, we are self sufficient, we can plan and have a market done in the wink of an eye."

"We didn't do as well as at the Health Agency but it was a good test of the market. We can learn from the negatives and celebrate the positives."

"So much laughter, I'm happy today and I can learn lots for the next market."

7 MUMS HAD STALLS

70 PEOPLE

ATTENDED

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

MARKET

"My first sale at Mums into Business Market, so happy, thank you to my first customer."

"I made twice as much as in the previous market with half the stuff, business = incomprehensible."

"We need to get a very fancy shop."

"Well done everyone, so much energy today can't wait for the next one."

6 MUMS HAD STALLS

65 PEOPLE

ATTENDED

MOTHERS DAY MARKET "Our Mums into Business services are the best! Exactly what ladies need to be done over and over again.

Success Success Success."

"You should all be so proud of what you have achieved and being great mums."

"To me, the best levels of energy and motivation right from the start to the end of the day."

8 MUMS HAD STALLS

35 PEOPLE

ATTENDED

TASTING CHANGE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION DAY "Imagine my surprise when I randomly came across this lovely little market which is running today in the south west of Edinburgh. There’s soup and lots of friendly faces here. I only wish I had time to have a good look at everything on offer here.

From what I can gather, the event has been organised by Tasting Change Wester Hailes and Mums into Business Edinburgh. Isn’t it lovely when you life throws little pleasant surprises your way?" Explore Edinburgh

120 PARTICIPANTS

14 STALLS 7 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

Film and Food Nights The film and food nights were a collaboration between WHALE Arts and Tasting change. Create, WHALE Arts community cinema and the Garden Kitchen Came together to put on 4 family-friendly film and food nights.

Each event involved a film screening combined with a community meal with each meal being themed around the films that were shown.

The four films were Coco, Cool Runnings, Zootropolis and Moana the corresponding meals were, Mexican themed food for Coco, Carribean food for Cool Runnings, American Deli style for Zootropolis and Polynesian delights for Moana.

COCO MEXICAN VEGI CHILLI,

TORTILLAS, SALSA AND RICE "Big thanks, relaxing evening with new flavours of food I have not tried before. Looking forward to the next one!"

65 PARTICIPANTS 7 STAFF &

VOLUNTEERS

COOL RUNNINGS

JAMAICAN STEW AND COCONUT RICE "I loved the film, it made me feel nostalgic and the food was excellent"

"I think it so good for everyone to be together and have a laugh"

20 PARTICIPANTS

5 STAFF &

14 VOLUNTEERS

ZOOTROPOLIS

VEGI BURGERS, VEGI SAUSAGES AND SUPER SALADS "Great food, lovely staff, amazing film and good company. We will defo be back for the next one, thank you for a good night"

50 PARTICIPANTS

5 14STAFF &

VOLUNTEERS

MOANA HAWAIIAN FEAST WITH FRUIT KEBABS "These film nights are great..the kids getting to getting to see a film, whilst eating a tasty healthy meal, plus the cinema is so expensive’

120 PARTICIPANTS 72 PARTICIPANTS 7& 14STAFF

VOLUNTEERS

COMMUNITY MEALS Tasting Change hosted a large number of community meals at WHALE Arts and The Health Agency under the brand of the Garden Kitchen, providing local people with healthy, nourishing meals and facilitating the recruitment and training of volunteers. Workers and volunteers from We Are What We Eat, Create and the Taste and Share strand all played a fundamental role in the provision of these.

The first community meal Tasting Change hosted at WHALE Arts was very celebratory. It was Mexican themed, with decorations and music and the feedback gathered from participants was very positive.

People commented that the night felt like a 'special occasion' and the addition of elements such as the music contributed to this. The success of this night and the feedback gathered set the tone for the proceeding meals.

These meals connected people in a welcoming dignified, environment, allowing people to expand their social networks whilst sharing food. Further on in the project, people were also given a choice of what food they would like to eat (through a voting system) and this was something that participants really appreciated and enjoyed.

100% of people asked stated that these community meals made them feel more connected to and more positive about their local community.

"This is dignity in practice. Giving people the choice a sense of control and involving the community in decision making.

Well done Tasting Change you're doing a great job" Irena, Nourish

MEXICAN THEME

VEGI MEXICAN CHILLI, TORTILLAS, RICE & SALSA "The meal was scrumptious and served by lovely friendly people. Met several new people from the community I would normally pass by. Great event!"

"I think the project is really starting to take off, a lot of people ask about you guys. The food was amazing and my children loved it. We are always up for new tastes"

"My fave thing about the meal was meeting people from the community, talking about food and tasting it’

48 PARTICIPANTS

CALDERS CHRISTMAS MEAL Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup, Beef Bourguignon, Veggi Stew, Creamy Mash and Trifle "Thank you very much for hosting and making an amazing meal"

"I loved being together with everyone"

"An amazing night. Everyone at Tasting Change are fantastic.. they put on such a good meal and event"

"We enjoyed it as if we were in a restaurant – it was even better. Quality food and amazing staff"

50 PARTICIPANTS

FAMILY PLAY DAYS Tasting Change - the Garden Kitchen and Create, collaborated with WHALE Arts' Creative Placemaker at a number of family playdays across Wester Hailes.

From the Woodland Wonderland in the Westburn woods, the Murrayburn and Hailesland playday at the Greenway and the Calders day in the Calders. Create and the Creative Placemaker facilitated art activities and the Garden Kitchen provided the food, including the Tasting Change Happy Meal!

WOODLAND WONDERLAND

CAMPFIRE COOKING, INDIAN HEAD DRESSES AND LEAF PRINTING "I'd no idea you could cook corn over a fire like this"

"It reminds me of home, this is how we cook it in my country."

"What a fabulous day, there are so many things going on here, its great."

150 PARTICIPANTS

5 DIFFERENT

ACTIVITIES

6 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

MURRAYBURN & HAILSLAND PLAYDAY GARDEN KITCHEN SALADS AND INTERACTIVE COOKING "What a lovely sunny day and the kids really enjoyed making the veggie kebabs"

"Brilliant event, so much fun and different kinds of food!"

150 PARTICIPANTS

5 DIFFERENT

ACTIVITIES

7 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

CALDERS DAY

TASTING CHANGE & FORK IN THE ROAD GARDEN KITCHEN - SALADS AND INTERACTIVE COOKING

150 PARTICIPANTS

7 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

PLAY DAY AT CLOVENSTONE

CREATE, GARDEN KITCHEN & FORK IN THE ROAD Making lettuce planters, delicious soup & bread and creating Tasting Change Happy Meals

"The food was fab, lots of different kinds, the kids and myself loved the Tasting Change Happy Meals, better than a McDonalds! "

80 PARTICIPANTS 9 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

OTHER EVENTS & THE GARDEN KITCHEN The Garden Kitchen was launched in December 2018 in The Health Agency and initially provided weekly community lunches in this location. The Garden Kitchen operated a pay it forward scheme which then funded a series of pop up cafes over the summer period, in various settings in the Wester Hailes community.

5 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

OPEN HEAVENS

CREATE & WHALE ARTS CREATIVE PLACEMAKER Origami fruits and vegetables

"This is so much fun."

47 PARTICIPANTS

"I had no idea you could make fruit out of paper."

5 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

TINKER TOWN

CREATE, GARDEN KITCHEN & WHALE ARTS CREATIVE PLACEMAKER Tasting Change Happy Meals and lettuce planters

90 PARTICIPANTS 4 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

DAD'S ROCK AGM

CREATE & THE GARDEN KITCHEN Painting bowls and a breakfast buffet

"Amazing event. Entertained my kids for hours. The food was of a high standard"

100 PARTICIPANTS

"Very healthy selection and very good quality"

2 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES FILM FESTIVAL GARDEN KITCHEN, CREATE & WHALE ARTS CREATIVE PLACEMAKER "Hearty soup and spicy hot chocolate"

"Friendly creative staff who are

50 PARTICIPANTS

generous in passing on their skills to other"

"fabulous food and event and the hosts are always warm and welcoming"

4 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

MESSY PLAY DAY CREATE & WHALE ARTS

Origami paint bombs & healthy snacks

"We need to make loads, I think we need at least 100, to make it really fun when we pour the paint in."

"Wow do we really get to throw paint at each other?"

15 PARTICIPANTS

DAD'S ROCK FAMILY NIGHT CREATE &ROCK GARDENFAMILY KITCHEN NIGHT DAD'S DIY Wrap Bar

"Great event so much to do and eat! "

"The kids absolutely loved getting involved in making the wraps, great idea "

90 PARTICIPANTS 2 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

WHALE ARTS AGM TASTING CHANGE

Scotch Broth and Haggis Neeps and Tatties

"lovely community atmosphere demonstrating how good food can bring people together" "

80 PARTICIPANTS

4 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

WORLD DISCO SOUP DAY TASTING CHANGE

"brilliant event – well orchestrated"

"great inspirational quality and diversity of food." Loved Tasting

100+ PARTICIPANTS

change’s food as always. Great atmosphere and fantastic music’

"Loved Tasting change’s food as always. Great atmosphere and fantastic music."

6 EXTERNAL

PARTNERS

https://www.facebook.com/tastingchangewh/videos/2142033892745859/

VOLUNTEERS Volunteering opportunities with Tasting Change were provided through several of the activities and services. Some of these were more informal where local people and participants helped out at events and groups and there was also more formal training opportunities where participants learnt about food preparation in our ‘Garden Kitchen’ and at events and weekly community meals.

The Community Food Shop also provided opportunities to learn skills such as stock taking, shop set up and customer service. Tasting Change valued each volunteer and

each role was designed to

increase confidence levels and skills sets based on the individual's wants and needs.

Ten of the volunteers were particularly invested in the project, dedicating their time on a weekly

"It gave me a purpose in life, I

basis to make soup, help prepare large community meals, run the Community Food Shop

didn't have any

and to help organise and set up events. The

experience when I

volunteers

started

became part of the Tasting Change

team and their contribution has been significant.

Feedback sought from the volunteers has shown

volunteering and I was worried, but I

that as well as enjoying the experience of being

have learnt so

involved in the project, they have gained new

much. Cooking

skills, gained in confidence, they felt valued and

with Tasting

they formed new friendships and contacts they

Change has also

can call on.

encouraged me to The Taste and Share workshops have also brought to the BME community real opportunities

cook more at home and it has helped

to meaningfully volunteer and perform active and responsible roles in the delivery of some of the sessions and there has been real personal development taking place with participants’ confidence growing and in some cases actually ‘spiraling’. New support networks and strong friendships have become sustainable and many participants have become fully invested and immersed in the project.

"It's been good.

Meeting new people and learning about healthy eating. Its really improved my confidence when speaking to new people too"

me to combat my eating disorder"

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE Practitioner's Reflections Link workers reflections Graeme was originally referred to me by a GP at

"I love cooking

Wester Hailes Medical Practice in March 2018 for support with anxiety. I met with Graeme on a number of occasions and soon realised he had a

and I love being in the

passion for cooking. Graeme was currently attending a cooking group run by the Cyrenians however this was due to end in a few weeks.

Outside this current cooking group Graeme was at times barely leaving the house. I referred Graeme to our local food project Tasting Change with the hope that it would help build Graeme’s confidence and tackle his anxiety by allowing him to do an activity he clearly really enjoyed in a supportive and friendly environment. His main goal was to gain his certificate in food hygiene.

The Tasting Change project was due to be running the food hygiene courses later in the year but as a starting point Graeme decided to join the next 8 week cooking course.

Feedback from the coordinator running the group was instantly positive; Graeme was confident in his cooking and was able to help other participants in the group. This clearly gave Graeme’s self esteem a boost and he went on to

kitchen with Tasting Change learning new skills. It has always been my dream to one day be a chef"

continue volunteering regularly with the project.

At a later follow up meeting Graeme told me that working with Tasting Change had been a massive help to him. Before he started with the project there was times he was barely leaving the house.

Tasting Change's Reflections Graeme was referred to the cooking group by the Health Agency’s Community Link Worker. G was then provided a place at the ‘We Are What

"I have learnt a lot of skills

We Eat’ 8 week cooking sessions.

and and I G was very enthusiastic and thankful for the opportunity to further his cooking skills. Previous to this group G had attended a cooking course at the Cyrenians and realised that it was his passion and dream to one day be a chef.

G was a valuable member of the group and his

have loved meeting new people and being part of

passion for cooking and food provided a spark of inspiration to others. The group admired his quiet confidence and skills and supported him in his dream. One memory of mine in the group was when we made pasta sauce from scratch.

This was something

G had always wanted to make and he had felt a huge sense of accomplishment after tasting how delicious it was!

the Tasting Change Team"

G began cooking more and more at home and would take pictures to proudly show everyone at the group. Nearing the end of the group I had asked G if he would be interested in a volunteering opportunity with Tasting Change.

He was excited at being asked and very willingly said yes. This then lead into G being a big part of the Tasting Change project, assisting in meal preparation to further enhance his cooking skills. G assisted in the cooking for the Festive Market, The Calders Christmas Meal and then at the weekly Foodness meals. He stated that he really enjoyed being part of the Tasting Change team at these events, interacting with other volunteers, staff and participants as he loved meeting new people.

G then took part in the REHIS Food Hygiene sessions in January 2019; he had felt it was essential for him to have this qualification if he wanted to further pursue his dream. G engaged and participated well in the course providing his own experiences working in the kitchen. G then passed the Food Hygiene test with flying colours and gained his Level 2 Elementary Food Hygiene certificate.

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE RP's story We are sharing with permission, the story of a local individual who has greatly benefited from the project. RP has been a victim of domestic violence for 18 years and has substance abuse issues. He entered the project at a time when he was particularly vulnerable, having recently self-harmed and being hospitalized, information RP has only recently just shared. He first sought counseling two years ago and has seen two therapists within that period. He is also accessing and attending regular appointments with LEAP (Lothian’s and Edinburgh Abstinence programme).

He initially found out about Tasting Change after attending an information event at the local Job Centre where, after chatting to the project coordinator, decided that volunteering might be a worthwhile route for him to take. RP used to work in kitchens and has experience in food prep within a commercial environment, and he loves cooking. He states that ‘I was looking for something extra in my life, something to keep my occupied and to keep me out the pub’

RP’s initial engagement with the project was with the Garden Kitchen within the Health Agency, working with the WAWWE strand of the project getting involved in food prep and clearing up. It was evident straight away that RP is experienced in these areas and he enjoys using the skills he has built up over the years and sharing his knowledge. RP stated ‘I enjoyed it straight away, everyone is really nice. I like being in the kitchen environment and being kept busy. It gives me something to look forward to and it is improving my confidence’. He also likes being around food and talking about food.

As all the food prepared in the Garden Kitchen is vegetarian, RP has been inspired by some of the recipes and finds the different kinds of soup made interesting. As he is used to making mainly meat dishes it has meant he has

As he is used to making mainly meat dishes it has meant he has now learnt new ways to cook vegetable-based meals which has encouraged him to eat more healthily. He also likes being around and talking about food.

Since his initial involvement with the project, RP has progressed to playing an integral role in the project, particularly at large community events and meals. He manned the BBQ at the Community Market Day for example, preparing and serving over 150 veggie burgers and interacting with the local community.

This illustrated that his confidence has increased since March when he started with Tasting Change as he thrived at this event and thoroughly embraced the responsibility of his key position on the day. At a community meal, Ronnie also noted that one of the diners had notified him that this was the first time she had eaten in days and at that point it made him really understand the purpose of the project and that he is glad to be a part of it stating “I really like being involved in giving back to the community”.

RP also benefits from the connections he has made with the Tasting Change team and other participants and volunteers, enjoying the banter and atmosphere. He also loved the Volunteers Day out to Jupiter Artland, where he interacted and enjoyed a special lunch with a group of 14 volunteers from across the project. He stated that he found this day ‘fantastic’

RP’s personal issues are still very present and the Tasting Change team have referred him for CBT, to Community Link Worker and are liaising with Fearless, a domestic abuse service for survivors, to provide him with as much support and help as possible. RP said that he used to hide everything but he has started opening up more and he finds the Tasting Change members easy to talk to and he finds it a safe space where he is listened to.

RP was referred to the Confidence Building Sessions iand these have proven to be a turning point for him. As a direct result of attending these sessions he decided to stop self-harming as it made him think more about himself and his kids stating, ‘the course drilled some sense into me’. He also advised that the last time he self-harmed was when he just started with the project, and those scars are now beginning to fade.

At the end of the conversation RP spoke about how welcome he is always made to feel when he comes to volunteer and that he feels part of something ‘even the receptionist chats away to me and is lovely’. His role in the project is exceptionally important to him and Tasting Change value him greatly, he has become part of the team.

JOURNEYS WITH TASTING CHANGE ALAN'S STORY

Journeys with Tasting Change is a series of case studies charting the

Case Study

progress of individuals who have

Catherine Fyfe

been involved in the project for a significant period of time.

The case studies seek to document each individual's journey through the project and aim to highlight, from the participants perspective, how Tasting Change has impacted on their lives.

A has lived in Edinburgh all his life and now currently lives locally in Wester Hailes. He is passionate about Edinburgh’s rich culture and history and feels a deep connection with his local communities past and present. A has a vast wealth of experience. A is an ex TA who then moved into the catering industry. Alongside this A volunteered with the British Red Cross as a first aider and with The National Trust working on nature reserve projects for over 12 years!

A was made redundant from a catering position at Standard Life in 2012. He decided that he wanted a different career path but was unsure of what he wanted. Since then he has volunteered with Re:union canals and Edible Estates, unfortunately both projects ended leaving A without a volunteering opportunity and a purpose to get out and about.

"I love Edinburgh,

A met Catherine (Edinburgh Community Food) at the Community Food Shop in 2017 when it was

where else

located in the Wester Hailes library. Both Catherine and A bumped into each other from

can you find

time to time getting to know one another through informal chit-chat. When Edinburgh

a city build

Community Food partnered with the Tasting Change project A became a regular visitor of

on

the shop and was interested in becoming a volunteer.

volcanos?"

Alan's Journey A has been volunteering with the Tasting Change project for over 10 months (Starting June 2018) and has been a huge asset to the project. His confidence has risen massively over this time period and he is now capable of running the Tuesday Community Food Shop with very little supervision and input from staff. A has a kind nature and has a genuine need to help others in his community.

While getting to know A throughout the project we have learnt more about his life challenges.

This has included his past experiences with homelessness and current experiences of food insecurity, and a recent bereavement. He has voiced many times of his thankfulness of his volunteering opportunity as a way to keep him busy, feel connected with his community and having a purpose.

"I am so Over time A’s volunteering role has expanded

thankful for you

with Tasting Change which includes helping at various events such as the Community Market day, Community Meals, Community Consultation, Festive Market; pop up shop at Murrayburn and Hailesland and many more!

all for all these opportunities. I never thought

Tasting Change are also working in partnership with the City of Edinburgh council to have more input with the community café at the Healthy

i'd ever do anything like

Living Centre which A will be involved in helping making soup once a month. A has always

this!"

enjoyed these events and this has contributed massively to his confidence and experience.

After spending time training and working with A, Catherine (ECF) got to know A’s true passion which was tourism. A’s dream is to eventually work in tourism showcasing the history and

"That was the first time I

culture of Edinburgh and his community.

Catherine got in touch with Invisible Cities a

have ever

social enterprise originating in Edinburgh, which trains individuals who have experienced homelessness to become tour guides of their city. A joined the organisation 5 months ago and is currently in the process of researching

spoken in front of a

and organising his tour which he hopes to launch in early Summer 2019.

As part of Edinburgh Community Food’s AGM

crowd of people! I

project worker Catherine provided a presentation of the Food and Health work

didn't

happening in Wester Hailes. A kindly came along and even gave a small speech. A has said that was the first time he has ever spoken in front of a crowd. He has spoken proudly of this ever since! This has definitely improved his

think I could ever

confidence and feeling comfortable speaking in front of large groups which will help further develop his tour guiding skills.

A is now a fully grounded member of the Tasting Change team. No matter what the event, A will always be willing to help.

do that!"

Over the past 10 months we have seen a significant change in A. He is more confident, driven and positive since volunteering with us.

He has blossomed so much that he is now volunteering with Invisible Cities, A treasurer for South West Edible Estates and volunteers with The Grassmarket Project.

A’s time, experience, kind and helpful nature has been essential to Tasting Change project.

This shows the true value of volunteering and how a project addressing food insecurity has many outcomes to help improve the lives of individuals in Wester Hailes.

PARTNERSHIP WORKING Tasting Change collaborated with around 20 local organisations and groups to promote the values embodied by the Tasting Change approach and to work in partnership to deliver a range of workshops, events and community meals.

Tasting Change developed an increasing role in supporting dignified food provision alongside other local activities and worked closely with these organisations within the broader programmes.

Wester Hailes Library

Edinburgh Community Food The

WHEC

Calders Residents Association

City of Edinburgh Council

Clovenstone Community Centre

Canal View Calders Kids Zone

Cyrenians

Edible Estates

Dads Rock

Prospect

Clovestone Primary City Of Play

Fork in The Road

With Kids

Gate 55 The Job Centre

PARTNER FEEDBACK Creative Placemaking Programme "Tasting Change as a programme was really responsive to the needs of the community, had excellent relationships with community members, always bringing along passionate and enthusiatic volunteers, and a positive approach to developing new programmes, events and activities. There was a mutual understanding and shared interest of both my creative placemaking programme and that of Tasting Change to build relationships across Wester Hailes through outreach events and both complimented each other so well, being able to add to what the other was offering. Being able to offer food at the events and activities I was coordinating had a transformative effect on their success but also in what they meant o local residents and what local residents in an area such as Wester Hailes so often need. All members of the Tasting Change are fantastic and have worked together to provide an essential programme for this community, a lifeline to the people they are engaging so effectively"

Lifelong learning - Gate 55 They engage well with the community, are adaptable and provide information in a not threatening way. Friendly, knowlegable staff.

Informal, fun learning

approaches to healthy eating. Quality food and handouts.

Dads Rock The openness and friendliness of TC has been great, and the desire to work together

Edible Estates Having someone on board who has food expertise, is passionate about food and has also worked on climate challenge funded projects has been really beneficial. I’ve really enjoyed seeing Tasting Change down in the heart of the community interacting with local residents. I know from talking to residents that they are equally loving having Tasting Change near their doorsteps.

Edible Estates

DWP To have Tasting Change refer our more vulnerable customers to the programme to reduce social isolation and help them to engage in their community

was great and to have the service easily accessible locally and

have the contact here in the job centre

With Kids The expertise and skills of tasting change workers. Helping to introduce new foods to children and parents.

http://www.morvernodling.co.uk/?page_id=2434

- link to Fork in the Road

Tasting Change Partnership with Edinburgh Community Food Practitioners Reflection

Working with Tasting Change has been a fantastic experience for me personally and professionally. The impact of Tasting Change has been significant in the local area of Wester Hailes, providing individuals with food opportunities they may not otherwise have had. Hundreds of community members have been involved in Tasting Change in some shape or form; whether this has been at a group, community meal, a community event or at our community food shop. Tasting Change has been very much present in the community throughout its 18 months and made its mark.

Working in partnership to develop and facilitate the Community Food Shop has given me the opportunity to get to really know the members of the community. We now have regulars coming along to the shop each week and staying around to have a good chat. This has allowed me to build a relationship with members of the community, developing trust and understanding. From this it has led onto community members becoming more involved in the project; coming along to events, cooking groups and REHIS Food Hygiene courses. In addition to providing volunteering opportunities for local people, giving them a chance to build and develop new skills, confidence and gain a real sense of community spirit. The shop has now become an integrational part of the Wester Hailes Community which can only at this point grow.

Facilitating the cooking groups for the Health Agency’s ‘We Are What We Eat’ program has been a great experience to develop my skills, communication and understanding of the demographic of the area I work with. Getting to know the group over the 8 week sessions has allowed me to understand more of the challenges in which people face, therefore finding ways to break down barriers and make healthier eating an achievable goal for all. The cooking group has had a big impact on its participants providing them with opportunities to develop their skills and confidence in the kitchen, but almost just as important, had a significant impact on reducing social isolation.

Delivering the REHIS Food Hygiene courses has been a particularly uplifting part of my role. This was especially evident in working with SCORE Scotland where we provided 3 separate interpreters for 3 different languages all in one room. This opened doors for these participants who would otherwise find it very difficult to engage in a mainstream classroom setting. Additionally, this provided me with a new experience in terms of my delivery of the sessions and addressing language barriers. The project was also able to fund everyone’s place (

£55

each) which, for those with a low income, would not

be a priority and therefore provided them with a great opportunity for employment, CV or volunteering.

Lastly, as Tasting Change is a multi-partnership project, this further expanded my experience in working in partnership with other organisations.

This has been a great opportunity for me to further develop my team working skills, understanding of various roles, their backgrounds and experience and working together to find ways to achieve our goals and objectives. I’ve enjoyed working with the Tasting Change team to work together to provide positive food opportunities for locals in Wester Hailes. Although we do not work together all the time, collaborating on various events has always been a great success which has always had great benefit to our community.

CONCLUSION Dignity in Practice Throughout the Tasting Change project there has been emphasis on dignity, in recognition that people in Wester Hailes are too often defined only by their problems rather than their strengths and their desire to contribute. Shared learning, inclusivity, social connections and the empowerment of having the opportunity to contribute and be involved have all been key features of Tasting Change.

Tasting Change designed and delivered a range of activities based around the key outcomes set, with a focus on reducing the causes and effects of food insecurity. People regularly experience anxiety over a lack of reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable food both for themselves and for their families. Food insecurity impacts negatively on eating healthily. It creates social isolation and crucially stops people becoming involved in their local community.

Although the provision of emergency food aid is a vital service, this ‘sticky plaster’ approach does not address any of the wider issues and the stigma attached to foodbank use and the indignity that people often report feeling when they visit one. Using a foodbank can often remove an individual’s right to choose what they want to eat, and often visits can be limited as well.

Tasting Change provided local people with the opportunity to regularly access nourishing hot meals and good quality fresh food. The project also provided options and often presented people with new foods and different tastes.

Cooking courses and healthy eating sessions were delivered in accessible venues with an emphasis on shared learning and building local connections.

Regular community meals highlighted the social value of shared food and its positive impact on community cohesion. Access to food was built in to artsbased activities to create dignified provision and The Tasting Change Food Community food shop promoted the value and availability of fresh and affordable produce. The provision of food at a number events during the school holidays also gave local children the opportunity to access free meals, when they were not benefitting from these at school.

Accredited food and hygiene training and volunteering opportunities, built confidence and increased social capital. Income maximisation advice was also offered in local venues linked to the project in recognition that low income levels and welfare reform measures contribute to food insecurity.

Collaborative working The local consortium comprised of the key partners; Prospect, CHAI, SCOREScotland, The Health Agency and WHALE Arts. The project workers from each of the delivery partners worked closely together to share knowledge and experience and to ensure that Tasting Change maximised local resources, and these aims were supported by the steering group. The workers endeavoured to liaise with each other to ensure that participant needs were met and that they were referred to the most appropriate activities. Working reflectivity and sharing learnings was also actively encouraged so that practice could be improved upon. The multi-agencyn partnership approach has presented some challenges, however, this model and the variety of activity it has been able to deliver has been significantly beneficial to the community of Wester Hailes.

The relationship between the key organisations in the consortium has also seen improvements and they are now more likely to work in partnership and collaboratively in the future.

Tasting Change also collaborated with a number of other local partner organisations to promote the values embodied by the Tasting Change approach and to deliver various activities. Knowing the value of trusted contact recommendations, the project team spent time ensuring that frontline staff and volunteers within these organisations understood the scope and remit of the project and felt confident promoting it to their participants.

Tasting Change also developed an increasing role in supporting dignified food provision alongside other local activities and worked closely with over 20 organisations within their broader programmes.

Tasting Change Events Workers, local people and partners collaborated to deliver a range of creative and unique events that were fun, different and special and the numbers of people that the project managed to engage in these activities were great.

The impact of the increased level of activity that Tasting Change has brought to Wester Hailes has been very positive. The range of arts and food focussed events have connected and brought people together to socialise, share food and participate in their community.

The first Community Market Day in September 2018, Tasting Change’s end of summer celebration milestone, was a particularly successful event with over 140 local people coming along to participate. One of the key findings from this day was that the idea of a more regular ‘Market Day’ was very appealing.

It was something that local people had not experienced in Wester Hailes before and its presence made them feel more positive about their community.

This factor was one of the main drivers for Tasting Change spearheading the organisation of another 'Market Day' alongside local people and groups. This idea has now been embraced by the Mum’s into Business who have organised several markets themselves to help promote and expand their businesses and this group, will continue to run these in Wester Hailes which is a clear legacy of the Tasting Change project and a very positive addition to the community.

The Tasting Change Journey This report presents findings from the multi method evaluative approach conducted throughout the duration of the project between November 2017 and March 2019. It has been created in order to tell the story of Tasting Change through the eyes of the workers and the participants. It is a showcase of how much the project has achieved in its 18-month duration, and how, through good and effective practice, the workers succesfully engaged the community of Wester Hailes in a wide variety of activities, community meals and events to achieve the following outcomes.

More people on low incomes are food secure within an environment where they feel treated with dignity. They will have improved levels of health and wellbeing, and a sense of control and choice over their circumstances.

More people from marginalised groups including BME communities become less socially isolated and able to link into other community activities and groups.

More people develop core skills through improved self-confidence, volunteering opportunities and training.

There is increased social capital through stronger local networks generated by more people becoming involved in wider community activities and decision making.

Tasting Change provided a safe, dignified and welcoming space for the people of Wester Hailes, some of which were standing at the coalface of poverty, social isolation and food insecurity. The project worked alongside a number of participants and volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds to help them address these issues and to enable them to sustainably change and improve their circumstances and to gain more control. The stories told in this report illustrate that for some people, entering into ‘The Tasting Change Journey’ has had a significantly positive impact on their lives and this report celebrates these personal progressions, achievements and the enormously valuable contributions that these people have made to the project.