Mayor's Advisory Group on Child Healthy Weight
What is the Mayor doing to tackle food insecurity in London?
The Mayor is committed to ensuring that every child in London grows up in a community and an environment that supports their health and weight.
Building on the legacy of the London Childhood Obesity Taskforce, the Mayor’s Advisory Group will support his ambition.
The role of the Mayor’s Advisory Group on Child Healthy Weight (MAGCHW)
The Mayor’s Advisory Group on Child Healthy Weight (MAGCHW) was brought together in December 2022 to provide the Mayor of London with expert advice on action needed to support the health and weight of London's children.
Read our latest publication below.
Every child a healthy weight - still a critical priority for London
Advisory Group members
Entrepreneur and children's welfare campaigner and author
Paul is founder of Ella’s Kitchen, the UK’s largest baby food brand. In addition to being appointed Chair of London’s Child Obesity Taskforce, Paul is Chair of Robert F Kennedy Human Rights UK, a Trustee of Sesame Workshop, the creators of Sesame Street, and sits on the Board of social enterprise Toast Ale. He is also Chancellor of the University of Reading.
Co-Founder of Brixton Soup Kitchen and Head of Advocacy at Young Lambeth Co-operative
Dr Mahamed, youth workers of 16 years, is involved in several community groups supporting homeless people and Londoners by providing free food, support and company. He has been recognised for his work receiving the 'Our Hero's Award' and features in the Independent on Sunday’s Happy 100 list and in the Evening Standard’s top 1000 influential Londoners.
Chief Executive Officer, James' Place Charity
Ellen is CEO of James’ Place, a charity which provides treatment for men in suicidal crisis. She was previously Head of Programmes at the Royal Foundation and Director of Health Promotion Programmes at Movember. Prior to that she headed up the strategy and planning team for Public Health England’s behaviour change campaigns.
Chief Executive of London Early Years Foundation
As CEO and creator of the UK's leading childcare charity and social enterprise since 2006, June continues to break new ground in the development of LEYF's scalable social business model. June is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Director of Early Years Nutrition Partnership, Trustee of London Hostels Association and Director of Social Enterprise UK.
Specialist in healthy urban design and planning
Rachel is a landscape architect and design adviser who champions the role of the built environment in supporting health. Rachel has designed streets and public spaces internationally, delivering regeneration schemes including the NHS England’s Healthy New Towns programme.
Consultant in community engagement and anti-poverty strategies.
Phil has a strong background in scaling high impact, sustainable strategies and programmes in local communities including the National School Sport Strategy and the National Mini Tennis Programme. Phil led the collaboration between the VCS, Primary Care, and the London Borough of Newham during the pandemic - implementing the Social Welfare Alliance where over 3000 front line workers have been trained to support vulnerable residents encountering the most pressing social welfare issues.
Managing Director - The Workshop
Nick joined Hogarth (part of WPP) in 2022 to run a bespoke advertising agency called ‘The Workshop’. He has worked in the advertising industry for over 15 years, leading the development of brand strategy and creative work for some of the most well-known brands in the world.
Why is it hard for London’s children to eat healthily?
London is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Yet our city is home to some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the country and today almost two in five Londoners live in poverty.
This means that a number of social, economic and environmental factors contribute to what children can or choose to eat - from family income and how it is spent to where a child lives or spends their time.
The 'What makes it harder for London's children to eat healthier?' report from the London's Child Obesity Taskforce provides insights on the challenges faced by London's children, as well as the significant consequences of inadequate nutrition on their health.
What makes it harder for London's children to be healthier
The consequences of not eating healthily
The harder it is for children to access healthy food, the harder it is for them to keep a healthy weight. And this not only damages children’s health now but in the future, causing early onset of chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anxiety and low self-esteem, and tooth decay.
The 'Unhealthy weight in London's children. What we know' report defines what unhealthy weight is, as well as its impact on children's health and what the Mayor of London is doing to reduce health inequalities in London.
Unhealthy weight in London's children
Archive of the London's Child Obesity Taskforce Work
Getting kids to a healthy weight: is a child-centred approach right?
Every Child a Healthy Weight – How do you set Ten Ambitions for London
The Power of deep conversations: How to fend off child obesity
Mobilising Action - The importance of partnerships and collaborations
Clean, free drinking water everywhere: Starting with water-only Schools
Get in touch
If you would like to get in touch with London’s Child Obesity Taskforce then please email [email protected]
If you are a journalist, please email [email protected]
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