King's Mill Hospital promotes healthy eating with new fruit and veg stalls

Keeping an active and healthy lifestyle proves to be a common theme at New Year as people look to burn off the Christmas indulgence.
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And in a bid to encourage healthy eating for its patients, staff and visitors, Sherwood Forest Hospitals has given the green light for a new fruit and vegetable stall at its King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton.

The stall is being run by Laiten McGuigan and Roxanne Burrows, who have operated similar schemes at hospitals across the East Midlands.

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The pair have been working on markets for 20 years and have worked at several hospitals over the past couple of years.

Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital.Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital.
Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital.

Laiten said: “It is great that we will be providing fruit and veg to residents and offering them a healthy alternative,

“We are looking forward to meeting our new customers.

“ We have done this at other hospitals in Nottinghamshire and it has worked really well and people have really embraced the healthy choices that we offer.

“I am hoping we can have a similar impact here.”

Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital pictured with from third left, Health and Wellbeing nurses, Charlotte Ranchordas and Amy Gouldstone, from the Estates department, Ben Widdowson and Julie Dennis and the Director of Strategy, Peter Wozencroft.Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital pictured with from third left, Health and Wellbeing nurses, Charlotte Ranchordas and Amy Gouldstone, from the Estates department, Ben Widdowson and Julie Dennis and the Director of Strategy, Peter Wozencroft.
Roxanne Burrows and Laiten McGuigan on their Roots Fruits and Shoots veg stall outside the main entrance at Kings Mill Hospital pictured with from third left, Health and Wellbeing nurses, Charlotte Ranchordas and Amy Gouldstone, from the Estates department, Ben Widdowson and Julie Dennis and the Director of Strategy, Peter Wozencroft.

Research for the area has shown that in Nottinghamshire only 30 per cent of adults and 41 per cent of older adults are meeting the “five-a-day” recommendation for fruit and vegetables.

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In Nottinghamshire children aged 11 to 18, only 10 per cent of boys and 7 per cent of girls are eating the recommended amount.

Julie Dennis, hospital facilities and programmes manager, said: “We are pleased we have managed to work together to get this project off the ground and up and running.

“It is a great start to the New Year to offer our patients, visitors and staff healthy, affordable and local produce and I can’t wait to visit the stall every day at the hospital.”

It is open Mondays- Fridays, 8.30am-4.30pm, at the hospital’s main entrance, and offers locally sourced produce .