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<p style="text-align: justify;">CENTRAL Bedfordshire Council is offering two food safety courses in Bengali, to help restaurant staff and owners across the region.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">TheWorking Together, Learning Together project is the brainchild of Environmental Health Officer David Norton, who put the training together with his colleague Beresford Lewis and Service Manager Maurice Clay.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The two-day courses offer a full (level 2) food safety qualification and the timings are designed to work around family commitments and the school run, taking place from 10am to 2pm each day.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The first is on 29-30 September at Bedford Square Community Centre, in Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, and is aimed at people living in Luton.</p>
The second, on 28-29 October, takes place at Priory House, in Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, and is directed at staff living in Bedford.

The aim of the courses is to help Bengali businesses and their staff to improve their food safety knowledge.

Working with Shamsul Alam, who owns Curry Garden, in Katherine Drive, Dunstable, as well as other businesses, David and his colleagues began some research into training needs. These included questions such aswhat training did staff have? What level did they want? Was it best delivered in Bengali?

After interviewing seven business owners they then spoke with 12 staff members – with these interviews carried out in Bengali. And the findings of these interviews helped form the basis of the food safety courses.

David said: “The trainer is Bengali, very experienced in delivering the qualification and seems to understand the needs of owners and staff.

“They say that old habits die hard, but if they are bad food safety habits they really do need to be replaced with good ones. A food hygiene qualification is a foundation, and everyone needs to work together to put into practice what they learn on the courses to build a safe and hygienic business.”

The Environmental Health Officer, who has been with Central Bedfordshire Council since it was formed in 2009, has extensive experience of working with the Bangladeshi community from his time at St Albans District Council.

And it was during this period that David was offered the chance to visit Sylhet, in Bangladesh, as part of a European Commission knowledge-sharing programme.

David added: “Visiting Sylhet in 1995 is one of my most memorable experiences. At the time I was at St Albans District Council and working with Bangladeshi businesses in the Hatfield Road area. So I jumped at the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh.

“We made many trips within Sylhet and its surroundings, including to tea gardens, schools and Scout groups as well as delivering seminars on public health. Back in the UK, I gave a number of presentations about the visit, which helped to raise funds for a tube well.”

To book a place on either course contact Janet Hicks by calling 0300 300 8000 or emailing janet.hicks@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

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<strong>By EHO </strong><strong>David Norton</strong>

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