Queens Park Rangers will be teaching healthy cookery lessons to families with young children in west London thanks to a grant from Heart Research UK.

QPR in the Community Trust was awarded almost £10,000 by the charity and the Subway brand to educate young people about the importance of diet and heart health.

'QPR Healthy Hearts, Happy Families' is a year-long project which involves a two-hour practical cooking session every other Saturday.

Fiona Williams, QPR in the Community Trust business development manager, said: “This project will enable us to deliver key health messages to the community living in the neighbourhoods around Loftus Road Stadium.

“This family-based approach ensures there is buy in from both parents and children, so they can make good health choices moving forward.

“'QPR Healthy Hearts, Happy Families' will bring together community members in a fun, practical way whilst inspiring participants to make positive choices about their health.”

The project will target families in White City and Wormholt, two areas which fall within the top 10% of deprived parts in the UK.

Over a third of school age children in Hammersmith & Fulham are overweight or obese and the session will include an opportunity for families to do physical exercise in the hope it will encourage them to be more active.

Holiday camps will also be run for children in the school summer holidays to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity, healthy eating and the negative impacts of smoking.