Interview with CWT Media Campaigner of the Year 2020

Edwina Revel and Georgia Leech are on a mission to improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families. Both Registered Nutritionists with the Association for Nutrition, the team, provide nutrition training for those working in the early years to ensure a consistent approach to delivering key nutrition messages to meet the diverse needs of families.

The team have supported early year’s settings to put nutrition at the heart of their practice from reviewing menus to meet national guidelines and providing training to ensure staff are equipped to support children to achieve a healthy weight, to reduce their risk of dental caries and to promote physical activity.

As public health nutritionists, the team at Early Start Nutrition are passionate about ensuring all children have access to nutritious and affordable food. They believe that giving children the best start in life is the most effective way to address health inequalities by establishing healthy eating habits to take with them into their school years.  Their work comprises support services for children, families and training for health professionals.  They have also developed online tools and work to engage audiences through their social media accounts, enabling them to reach a wider audience, including training of 2,000 Early Years practitioners and health professionals.

How did you feel when you found out you were awarded Media Campaigner of the Year?

Winning an award from The Caroline Walker Trust is a career highlight for the team. As a Registered Nutritionist, it’s been a great way to raise awareness of our work and the importance of communicating messages in a way that supports those we work with to build their knowledge and confidence

What is your advice to other media campaigners?

Media provides a fantastic opportunity to talk about key nutrition topics. It’s a great tool to share positive and practical information to support those you are trying to reach. Planning is key, as is ensuring the information you share is evidence-based and within the remit of your expertise. Know your audience and tailor your resources to meet their needs.

What has been the most rewarding part of your role?

As early years nutritionists, we are so fortunate to work with nursery settings, along with a range of other professionals and of course, families too! Our job is extremely varied; one day, we can be delivering training and the next, we can be writing a blog and creating recipes. It’s really nice to feel that we’re making a difference to the children and families we work with.

What have you gained from the award Media Campaigner of the Year?

The award has helped raise the team’s profile, meaning we’ve reached more families and early year’s professionals. It’s also given us the confidence to further develop our media resources.

How did you celebrate when you found out you won CWT Media Campaigner of the Year?

As we received the award in the middle of a pandemic, we raised a glass over a zoom call. We are looking forward to celebrating with our colleagues soon!

You can read more about Early Start Nutrition award winning work on their CWT Media Campaigner of the Year page 

Interview by Michelle Slater
Registered Nutritionist
CWT Annual Awards Committee Member

© 2021 The Caroline Walker Trust