Leading public health charity, The Royal Society for Public Health, has presented its coveted Training Accreditation Certificate to Let's Get Cooking, the national network of cooking clubs teaching children and their families how to cook good, healthy food.

The ability to prepare healthy meals from scratch has become a scarce skill. Let's Get Cooking clubs, backed by £20 million from the Big Lottery Fund, give children and their families the knowledge and confidence to cook nutritious, tasty meals, while also having fun.

This award is in recognition of the RSPH accreditation status achieved by Let's Get Cooking for its two-day, demonstrator training course for adult club leaders.

The award was presented by Dr Genny Lane on behalf of the RSPH. Dr Lane, a community paediatrician, RSPH trustee and member of its governing council, said: "In presenting this certificate to Let's Get Cooking, I would like to congratulate those associated with the success in achieving the high standard required for accreditation status, which shows Let's Get Cooking's commitment to excellence in training for its demonstrators. It ensures that its clubs are organised safely and conveys the healthy eating message effectively."

She adds: "Working in the community, I am all too aware of the detrimental effect that poor nutrition has on health. Encouraging children in healthy eating habits will have considerable long term benefits for them and their families."

At the handover ceremony at Prendergast-Hilly Fields College in Lewisham, School Food Trust chief executive, Judy Hargadon, said: "It is an honour to receive this award which shows that our demonstrator training programme meets the very high RSPH standards. The training programme is crucial to the success of Let's Get Cooking and there will be around 5,000 adult leaders by 2011. This independent validation and prestigious recognition will give the leaders further confidence in their role."

The RSPH's accreditation scheme is designed to endorse training programmes that support health, hygiene and safety. The Let's Get Cooking training programme underwent an expert review, assessing how effectively it prepares trainees in cookery demonstration skills and in food safety, nutrition and health and safety.

The Big Lottery Fund's Well-being programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being.