In July 2018 we hosted our very first month-long campaign entitled Selwyn Kids Cook Mondays, which aimed to empower parents and encourage children of all ages to come together and learn skills in the kitchen - skills that would equip them for life whilst also promoting family connectedness, sharing of ideas and also 'togetherness around the dinner table' at the start of each week.

We partnered with local Qualified Nutritionist, Pip Meads from Pure & Simple Nutrition and also tapped into local Youth Volunteers such as Kael Steven - a young local student with a desire to be a TV Presenter and Reporter. Through collaborating with someone so young, it bridged the generational gap between our target audience of children, and adults - thus mirroring what we had hoped to achieve with the campaign itself: Getting adults and kids to work in partnership.

Following this the Selwyn Kids Cook grew to become a regular event on the July calendar for families across Selwyn. It proved hugely popular with the sharing of photos and short videos of Selwyn Kids creating fantastic dishes within their home environments, featuring weekly competitions throughout the month of July, sharing popular family recipes, provide meal planning suggestions, nutritional information, and so much more.

We finished offering Kids Cook Mondays in 2021 having recognised a huge number of providers offering alternative events throughout the July School Holidays and following the enormous growth of the council led Kids Fest which happens annually. We will cherish the fond memories of some great culinary times!