Opportunities to Participate in the Creating Healthy Active Local Kids (CHALK)

The Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) within Imperial College London's School of Professional Development presents a diverse range of cutting edge courses for professionals working in science, technology and medicine. The majority of courses are taught at the South Kensington campus and are open to all on a fee paying basis. Modules from several Masters Programmes are made available as CPD short courses as an initiative to provide flexible education for full-time working professionals.

The CHALK programme responds to the post Marmot review recommendations for a ‘Fair society’ with capacity building and access for the most vulnerable a key focus of the programme.

CHALK comprises:
Bespoke capacity building training and mentoring for those working with children and families across the public, private and third sector

Community based interventions targeted at children and families

Course Aims

• To recognise one’s own opportunities for promoting healthy weight in children
• To know the causes and consequences of overweight in children
• To know how diet and nutrition can help to achieve healthy weight
• To know how physical activity can help to achieve healthy weight
• To provide confidence in raising the issue of unhealthy weight with children and families through brief intervention
• To transfer knowledge within one’s own organisation

Who Should Attend?
Health and non-health professionals working in the public, private sector or third sector who deliver or manage services for children and families.

The CCPD have trained participants from over 100 occupations, including GPs, paediatricians, sports coaches, library staff, foster parents, local borough summer play workers, school nurses, head teachers, health visitors.

Accreditation
The programme was commissioned by the Department of Health in 2008. All participants will receive an Imperial College London Certificate of Attendance on completion of the programme. The programme is also accredited by the London Public Health Network.

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For more information and bespoke delivery of CHALK, please contact Dr. Raheelah Ahmad raheelah.ahmad@imperial.ac.uk

Journey to ten different cities in Saudi Arabia.

Continuing its tour of Saudi Arabia, having visited major cities like Dammam, Riyadh, Dharan. Khobar, and Jubail, Travel Army continued its exploration by visiting ten more cities in Saudi Arabia. Although the destination was Mecca and Medinah, there was transit through Taif, Jeddah, Al-Butain, Al-Khaamis, Al-Majmaah, Al- Qasim, Buraydah and Al- Duwadimi.

It was an interesting family road trip that started on a very cold day.

We set off in the morning at 9a.m., filled the car's fuel tank with just 25 SAR that's like $7.
You do not have to spend much money to have an enthralling vacation. You can make a road trip to cities within the kingdom with little expenses.

Driving on a smooth/free road across vast expanse of desert was captivating. The road signs and the GPS came in very useful. The fascinating cities and people of Saudi Arabia have been intriguing travelers with their peaceful road and delightful landscape. There are police checkpoints at the entrance of most towns. While every town looked similar in outlook, each had its unique and landmark features.
The long stretch of open road provided the first scare of the journey as the fuel indicator pointed empty with no petrol station in sight. All excitement turned to apprehension as I prayed for a filling station.

10 mins later, what appeared like a filling station appeared ahead, it was the opposite of the flashy filling stations typical of Saudi with drive-ins, stores, rest room, mosques, car service all in one. It happened to be a saving grace from an awkward and mortifying situation in the heart of the desert as we were not to come across another one for the next 3 hour drive.

I was just imagine what would have happened if the fuel tank got totally empty. Questions filled my head, like; Are we going to sleep in the desert? or leave the car on the highway? I've come to term this scenario, 'Favor in the Arabian Desert'.

We came across Taif, a city of hills and mountains with winding roads meandering through the rocks. The rest of the journey up to Mecca was effortless, uneventful and fluid. Here we were to experience the next little challenge - locating our hotel, which we had already reserved online.

If you are familiar with Mecca, you will agree that it is a city largely structured around mountains, especially the Haram area where the holy site is located. Houses and hotels are built on the edges of hills and rocks are blasted to create roads through them. We drove on slopes, ascending and descending from one street to the other. The mountains had scrambled GPS signals which was taking us around in circles and against traffic. Driving within this hour was more tedious than the whole journey itself. Giving up the search, we walked into one of the closer hotel. and just lodged there.

The Mecca police have a duty to ensure free flow of traffic in order to prevent congestion, so parking our car was difficult. Cars parked lamely on the roads are promptly towed away. It takes 50 SAR to recover towed vehicles.









I love the hotel apartment, everything was neat and beautiful. We took a short nap before going to the Haram.


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