Centre for school cooks planned

A purpose-built training facility to turn out top-class school and care home cooks is planned in Gloucestershire.

The £150,000 project at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, aims to help improve the diets of children and elderly people in the county.

Up to 500 cooks will be taught how to provide better, fresher and healthier menus for schools and care homes.

The college is putting up £60,000 for the project and Cotswold District Council is adding a further £25,000.

Council leader Lynden Stowe said: "Children and elderly people will benefit from better meals, jobs will be created and local companies will be picked to supply foods. It's an all-round winner.

"The recent campaign by Jamie Oliver for healthier school dinners shows there is a real need for such a facility to help tackle national trends such as childhood obesity.

"We want to see this project succeed and become a centre of regional excellence in the Cotswolds."