On Tuesday 25th September, Oyovwe, the founder and CEO of the Widows Empowerment Trust, hosted a cook and taste session.
On the menu was a delicious yet healthy serving of low-fat chocolate sponge cake, and judging by the sounds of laughter and activity coming from the room, everyone was enjoying themselves. It’s hard to believe there were just 17 people taking part.
Sessions like these are run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the focus being to support widows/widowers with bereavement whilst also providing them with useful and fun activities. Whilst today focused on cooking skills and healthy eating, other sessions can include arts and craft activities, knitting/crochet, pampering sessions, and days out.
Oyovwe mentioned that cook and taste sessions were a good way to promote healthy eating which in turn promotes general wellbeing and mental health. Beyond this, these sessions teach new skills, build confidence and crucially help to reduce isolation and reintegrate people into the community, which has an additional benefit for the participants who have dementia. She cited several individuals who were once “withdrawn” from the sessions, but over time have “greatly improved”.
There is also a Facebook video of the event - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2096097323753920&id=100000610182058