Our Mission
What is myChange and what do we aim to achieve?
Based in South East London, we started taking our one-off workshops into local schools. Kids could get familiar with food, whip up nutritious meals, even grow their own veg. Those first workshops sowed the seeds for what became our complete food education programme: Food Changers.
During the pandemic we had to stop delivering face-to-face sessions, so we put all of our energy into launching a subscription service. Now teachers up and down the country can access all of our lesson plans and become foodie gurus themselves.
Our goal is to help people make better food choices
Knowledge
Giving clear and accurate information to choose healthier options.
Skills
Teaching and applying the practical skills for a more nutritious diet.
Empowerment
Bringing about confidence in decisions around diet.
Where we are going
In the short term we want to support children and families in making healthier food choices. This could be beginning of something bigger. There are lots of other ways we can help children and families; through physical activity, sleep and mental health.
Meet the team
Our team is made up of professionals from across the UK that all share a similar passion – food and education. Outside of our day jobs, we spend our time creating programmes to get more people interested in food.
Being a CIC, each member donates time to make the company what is it today. Any profit we make goes straight back into making our programmes the best they can be.
Leigh Longhurst
Founder
Leigh is a qualified Personal Trainer and Tutor who has worked with children and young people since completing a Sport & Exercise Science degree in 2008.
While working with young people he discovered that their food choices were poor, which significantly affected their mood and behaviour in class. He put together a workshop to educate these young people around food and soon after My Change CIC was formed.
Since 2017, Leigh has used his knowledge and experience to developed a range of food education programmes that My Change CIC now deliver in local primary schools.
Haydn Bettles
Food education leader
Haydn is currently Lead of Food Education in a primary school in Manchester and has held this position for 4 years. Prior to working in the classroom, he was a former chef working in award winning restaurants through his culinary career.
Over the last 5 years, Haydn’s work has led him to sit on the All Parties Parliamentary Group for School Food and an invitation to become an Ambassador for Love British Food.
Haydn also independently advises primary schools in teaching food education and helps organisations create and develop their education work in food and farming with interactive resources.
And some gratitude for those who've helped along the way...
Grace Hollinrake
Grace is a registered Nutritionist, with a first class degree in Nutrition from the University of Nottingham, and a Masters degree in Child Public Health (with Distinction) from Swansea University. She's passionate about providing evidence-based nutrition information and teaching food skills to primary school aged children and their families.