COOK FOR FRIENDS and change young lives

BBC Good Food has teamed up with star chef Tom Kerridge to create a special menu for you to cook and raise funds for BBC Children in Need – and help underprivileged children, like Sulayman and his friends, at the Merry Berries Club

Fatema was at her wits’ end with worry trying to feed her son, Sulayman. The six-year-old has autism and is non-verbal which means that communication can be challenging for him. Mealtimes at home, she says, were ‘difficult’ and going out ‘became impossible’.

‘I was really struggling to find food he would eat and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t help him,’ says Fatema. ‘It was incredibly tough. As a family we had to change our lifestyle completely. I am a social worker, but due to Sulayman’s behavioural needs, I wasn’t able to work as I couldn’t find childcare that was suitable for him.’ Fatema desperately needed help – and last year she found it after being introduced to Merry Berries After School Club in Burnley, Lancashire. Since 2011, the club has been funded by BBC Children in Need to run ‘Plant to Plate’ healthy eating sessions for children with additional needs in the town. The club currently has a three-year grant of £92,185, running until 2020, to deliver the sessions. Merry Berries caters to each individual child and focuses on improving the children’s socialisation and communication skills, as well as helping them to develop skills in planting, cooking, cleaning and serving. Using the club’s garden enables the children to learn how to grow vegetables and herbs which are then featured in their menus.

It was just the supportive environment Sulayman needed. Merry Berries uses the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in the form of a picture recipe book that enables all children to take part in their activities, even if they are non-verbal. Using PECS, Sulayman is able to communicate.

It has ‘transformed’ his life, says his mum. ‘Since starting at Merry Berries I have seen so many changes in him. He’s confident, his social skills have improved, he has friends, and most importantly, he enjoys food!’ Merry Berries runs four days a week which means that Fatema is now back in work as she is confident that Sulayman is happy there. She says, ‘Like any mum, I just wanted to give my son the best possible start in life. With the help of Merry Berries his whole life has been turned around, and mine has too.’

His life has been turned around