Merthyr Valley Veterans cooking up a feast with numbers!
The Merthyr Valley Veterans, a group of Armed Forces veterans, play a vital role in supporting the well-being, social integration, and continued service of veterans across Merthyr Tydfil.
Well-known and loved throughout the Borough because of their voluntary work, the group often undertake community projects and over the years have supported projects such as establishing sensory gardens in schools including Afon Taf High School and refurbishing a memorial structure at Pen-y-Dre School.
To engage their members, they offer a varied array of activities and are always on the lookout for programmes and events that they can take part in, allowing their diverse membership to develop their skills and knowledge. Cooking and budgeting courses through Multiply Merthyr Tydfil therefore fitted the bill perfectly for the group, Chairperson Errold Jones explained the reasoning for getting in touch with the programme:
Reaching out to Multiply Merthyr Tydfil was a no-brainer for some of our members who live alone and have restricted contact, to provide them with support in preparing nutritious meals for themselves from scratch everyday.
The courses, delivered by Essential Skills Tutor Diane Newman-Jenkins, focused on cooking nutritional meals using an air fryer whilst providing budgeting support to help with the rising cost of food and improve the attendees’ overall number knowledge.
"The cooking and budgeting courses we’ve run with the veterans have been great fun and really rewarding too. By tailoring the weekly courses to their needs and interests, we created a supportive environment where they could learn, experiment, and grow together. Combining the numbers with cooking was a fantastic way of providing practical advice to the group – I look forward to our catch ups every week, we all have such a laugh! It's evident that beyond mastering new culinary skills, they've embraced better budgeting habits and enhanced their meal planning abilities which will benefit them greatly.”
Reflecting on taking part in the courses themselves, veterans Bill and Lynne had this to say:
“I have benefitted greatly from the teaching I received on the course not only the cooking but the planning, budgeting and comradeship on the course. I have been able to pass on some of the knowledge to my family who are also learning. It's been a brilliant course.” Bill
“I am interested in cooking and when I heard about the Air fryer course I took a place in the group immediately. To my surprise the course has renewed my interest in other ways.
I now plan a weekly menu, I now measure ingredients in grams rather than ounces. My budgeting skills have improved in both purchasing of food and home skills. Our instructor Diane has encouraged us to be more adventurous in our choice of foods. Thank you for the opportunity to learn new skills.” Lynne
These endorsements underscore the tangible benefits experienced by both learners, reinforcing the programme’s ability to support locals to improve their number knowledge.
Whether you are part of a local club who can benefit from our courses or an individual looking to join a fun, relaxed learning community, get in touch with our friendly team today and start your journey to better numeracy skills.
