MALNUTRITION and obesity will hopefully become a thing of the past for many Bournemouth families, thanks to a new project.

The breakfast and lunch club at Townsend Children’s Centre has received £3,000 from Rotary Clubs in the area to help fund it for a year.

Parents and children using the centre, in Jewell Road, will be educated about healthy eating, budgeting and taught how to cook simple, nutritious meals for their whole family.

Alex Jones, lead children’s activities worker, said the project would be run by parent volunteers at the centre.

He added: “Our parent volunteers Donna Richards and Tess Kemble have been coming to the centre for a long time and they’ve got children.

“They will be doing the lunches for us and also teaching parents at the centre how to cook simple recipes. We are really going to focus on the lunches and we are hoping to do it weekly.

“There is a real need for a healthy lifestyle here, it’s about teaching basic skills.

“We are very grateful for the support that the Rotary Clubs have given us to be able to share this with the community.”

Five Rotary Clubs around the Bournemouth area each pledged £400 to the cause and the money raised was match funded by Rotary, so a cheque for £3,000 was happily handed over to the children’s centre.

Julian Sandy, president elect for Westbourne Rotary, said: “This is a pilot project through Rotary.

“At the end of the year we will be presenting this to the Rotary International Conference to Rotary Clubs across the country.

“The aim is that Rotary Clubs will buddy up with their local children’s centres because it’s about early intervention and prevention.”