Leigh Park school that feeds hungry families is an inspiration '“ Verity Lush

Not only does that speak volumes about the ethos of the school, but it also speaks volumes about the effect of that ethos on all the wonderful people who work there, whether teaching, support, or site staff.

It also says a lot about community spirit and the attitude of local people, and the role that educational establishments play in our locale. 

The saying that it takes a village to raise a child, is never more true, surely, than in this instance?

How incredibly heartening to hear and read about a school that has managed to encompass that old adage and take it to another level.

Full kudos is deserved by headteacher, Chris Anders, and the entire '˜village' involved in such a brilliant initiative.

The part that schools play in the lives of children is something that we all take for granted.

You go to school, you leave, you have kids, they go to school.

Those first days at school form part of the obligatory social media photo collection, as does the prom at the end of Year 11.

From the age of four, our offspring are taken into the education system, where they then spend more of their time than they do with their parents or carers. 

It is quite a daunting thought for both parent and child, in that the most innocent part of life is over, seemingly before you've even adjusted to sleep deprivation and nappies.

In the blink of the proverbial, your child is off, sucked into the system, and '“ for the first time '“ you lose just a little of the control you've taken for granted ever since the wee stick showed an extra blue line.

What better environment then in which to have your child, than one that cares so  demonstrably about their development in each area of life?

Well done to Park Community '“ an inspiration. 

I'm all for getting fit, but not at the expense of others

I have been astounded by a new phenomenon in the swimming pool. You may have heard of it; it's called '˜walking'. 

I know lots of folk are prescribed either walking in water or running in it if they are injured, due to lack of impact, but I had no idea of just how many people are now engaging in this.

To the extent the only available public swimming lane was full of swimmers. Who were not swimming.

Somewhat frustrating if you did want to swim. Or, if you fancied swimming faster than a person wades through marshmallows.

This would be fine if the walkers stepped aside for a swimmer to overtake but they are a stubborn, if slow, lot. 

The answer is simple really '“ just keep it all balanced

There was a segment on the radio this week saying that new research has shown that it is not only unhealthy to be overweight, but also unhealthy to be underweight. 

This begs the question, why bother?

Why bother with the research (we could have guessed a happy medium is best), why bother adjusting your diet, and why bother spending millions on random research as opposed to just saying '˜keep it all balanced within reason'?

There was a further segment about a vile sounding synthetic meat made from plant proteins that tastes identical to meat and even '˜bleeds'.

Did we tax-payers cough up for the grim invention?