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Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is considering spending £1,000 to provide cookery lessons.

The virtual classes would be demonstrations on how to use a slow cooker.

Twelve months ago, more than 50 shielding households in the borough received slow cooker kits as nutritional support during the pandemic.

As well as a slow cooker, these residents received a cookery book and recipe ingredients for two meals designed to provide a healthy option.

The cookery course is one of nine planned under a forthcoming ‘Community Capacity Building Programme’.

By comparison, £260 has been earmarked for a safeguarding children course and £350 for emergency first aid classes.

The sum of £3,000 has been proposed for ‘Organising a Successful Community Event’ and likewise for tailored mental health programmes.

Other topics to be tackled include financial management talks which would have an expenditure of £500 and ‘Food Safety in Catering’ at a cost of £500.

The programme will be discussed at a virtual meeting of the borough council on Monday evening.

An officer’s report to councillors says: “The purpose of this programme is to develop the capacity and skills of individuals and groups within the borough and equip them to participate more fully in society and have a positive impact on the number and quality of successful community development projects delivered across the borough.”

The cost of delivering the programme will be almost £11,000, a third of which is funded by the Department for Communities.

by Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

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