Food Festival Success
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
On Saturday 9 May, Rizon Health hosted its Healthy Food Festival at Ryecroft Community Hub in Walsall as part of our wider Bloom+ project.
The event brought together over 200 participants, volunteers, students, staff and community partners for a day of free food, practical nutrition education, wellbeing activities, food growing and inclusive exercise.
'A community day rooted in health, culture and connection'
The Food Festival was designed to show that public health can be practical, joyful and community-led.
Throughout the day, attendees were able to take part in interactive activities, enjoy free food from around the world, learn about healthy eating, plant vegetables, try creative wellbeing activities and join an all-ability disco exercise class.
Nutrition education stalls
University of Leeds students delivered a series of interactive nutrition education stalls, helping attendees explore healthy eating in a practical and memorable way.
Activities included 'food-labelling snakes and ladders', 'a cultural food activities scavenger hunt', 'sugar guessing games', and Initiating conversations about everyday food choices such as improving fibre intake through meal deal choices. The stalls were designed to make nutrition feel accessible, inclusive and relevant to real life. Participants were invited to complete an 'activity passport' whereby they could enter a competition to win one of two £50 vouchers for taking part.
Nutrition masterclass
Rizon Health’s Chief Executive, Daniel Essom, delivered a short nutrition masterclass focused on healthy eating, food choices and simple changes people can make at home.
Participants got up and moved through a practical, easy-to-understand demonstration of the differences in the molecular structures of different types of carbohydrates.
The session was designed to be high engagement, encompassing science experiments and 'quiz style' interaction, encouraging attendees to think about nutrition in a realistic and non-judgemental way, with a focus on practical changes that support health and wellbeing.
"Food brings people together, reflects culture and can play a powerful role in supporting health, confidence and connection"
Free food from around the world
A central part of the festival was the free community meal.
Attendees were able to enjoy a selection of food from around the world, with halal, vegetarian and vegan options available. The food created an opportunity for people to sit together, socialise, try different flavours and celebrate the role of culture in healthy eating.
Favourites on the menu were: a selection of byrianis, Greek salad, chilli con carne, vegetable pasta bake, lentil dahl, chickpea curry, fruit salad, nachos and dip, carrots and hummus, fajitas, and popcorn.
Special thank you to Kate Kaur, our head chef and festival manager, as well as our catering volunteers.
Flower therapy and creative wellbeing
The Food Festival also included a relaxing flower therapy activity, combining flower arranging with talking therapy techniques to support wellbeing, conversation and relaxation.
Our accredited therapist, Tamzin, and creative artist Carole, supported over 100 participants to make their very own flower arrangement to take home.
This activity gave attendees space to slow down, be creative and connect with others in a calm and supportive environment.
Vegetable patch planting
Thanks to our partners at Food For Life (Soil Association), attendees also had the opportunity to get hands-on with growing food through planting in a vegetable patch.
Participants learned about growing potatoes and made a herb pot to take home. This activity linked healthy eating with practical growing skills, sustainability and the joy of producing food in the community.
Special thanks to our garden volunteers, Carol and Elizabeth, for being our demonstrators.
All-ability disco exercise
The day ended with a fun, inclusive all-ability disco exercise session.
The class was designed to be accessible, allowing people to join in as much or as little as they felt comfortable with. It brought energy, movement and laughter into the event, showing that physical activity can be social, enjoyable and adaptable for different abilities.
Working with the University of Leeds
The Food Festival was delivered in partnership with the University of Leeds School of Food Science and Nutrition, with support from Dr Sally Moore, staff and student research volunteers.
This partnership has been central to the development of Bloom+. Since December 2025, University of Leeds students and staff have supported co-design sessions, contributed ideas for event activities, and are now independently evaluating the project.
The collaboration forms part of a wider University-Civic Partnership between Bloom+ and the University of Leeds, supported by Global Food and Environment Institute Seed Funding. The project aims to bring together practitioners, academics and students to co-produce, deliver and evaluate Bloom+ as a social inclusion and healthy eating intervention.
The University of Leeds describes Bloom+ as a pilot for a scalable, community-focused intervention tackling obesity, malnutrition, low nutritional literacy, poor wellbeing and social isolation in deprived communities.
We are proud that Leeds students played such a valuable role in designing, planning, delivering and evaluating the Food Festival. Their insight, enthusiasm and knowledge helped bring fresh energy to the event and supported the development of a more evidence-informed, community-led model.
A special thank you to the GFEI Seed Funding and Manager Sarah Denis for making this partnership possible.
Evaluating our impact
A full evaluation of the Food Festival and wider Bloom+ approach is now underway in partnership with the University of Leeds.
This research will help us understand what worked well, what participants gained from the event, and how community-based interventions like Bloom+ can support health, wellbeing and social inclusion.
The findings will help shape the next stage of Bloom+ and support future funding, delivery and research opportunities.
We are excited to share the full study and impact findings soon.
Capturing the day with Studio School Walsall
We were also delighted to be supported by students from Studio School Walsall, who volunteered at the Food Festival as part of their work experience.
The students helped capture the atmosphere, activities and key moments from the day, gaining valuable experience in photographing and documenting a live public event. Their work helped us preserve the energy of the festival and showcase the impact of Bloom+ in the community.
Rizon Health would like to thank the Studio School Walsall students for their professionalism, creativity and skill throughout the day. Their contribution was hugely appreciated and played an important role in helping us share the story of the event.
Thank you
We would like to thank everyone who made the Food Festival possible, including our attendees, volunteers, University of Leeds students and staff, Ryecroft Community Hub, Studio School Walsall, the Rizon Health team, Kate Kaur, Dr Sally Moore, Lucy Richardson, the Soil Association, the National Lottery Community Fund, and all partners and supporters who contributed to the day.
The success of the Food Festival showed what can happen when communities, universities, practitioners and local organisations work together around a shared goal: improving health in a way that feels practical, inclusive and enjoyable.
You can read more about the University of Leeds partnership and the research behind Bloom+ on the University of Leeds website: Rooting Bloom+ in research.
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