The Big Lottery Fund has handed Sheppey more than £355,000 after a study revealed the Kent Island is one of the worst areas in Britain for adult obesity.

Nigel Martin, manager of Sheppey Matters, which has landed the £355,299 grant, said: “The obesity level for Island children in primary schools is no worse or better than the rest of the country. But the figure for adults is quite frightening.”

More than 30% of grown-ups in some parts of the Island are obese - that's 20% above their recommended weight. This is the highest figure in Kent and higher than the UK national average of 27%.

Mr Martin, based at the Healthy Living Centre in Sheerness, said the money will help discover the reasons for this and encourage families to eat more healthily.

Its spade-to-fork policy will show people how to grow vegetables and turn them into simple but healthy meals.

Mr Martin said: “It should help families enjoy more home-cooked food instead of relying on ready meals. We don’t know why so many Islanders are overweight. NHS figures suggest it is because of bad diets and lack of exercise.

“Children at primary school seem fitter and healthier, which might be because they do PE.”

The three-year Healthy Sheppey project will follow a similar scheme called Sustainable Sheppey.

Both rely on the work of Swale’s community chef. Mike Spackman, 61, the current community chef, has been delivering healthy eating advice and food to Sheppey and Sittingbourne from a converted Ford Transit van since 2008.

He said: “When I started, in some areas of Swale people were dying 10 years earlier than others. Much of this is down to poor lifestyles and bad diets. Although we have done a fantastic amount of work, the job is still far from finished.”

The new Sheppey community chef contract is up for renewal and is worth £23,634 a year for 30 hours a week. The closing date for applications was Friday.

Sheppey Matters is also seeking an assistant community chef, a lead youth worker and a community gardener to work on allotments at Standford Hill open prison, Eastchurch.

The team, due to start in September or October, will also work from Sheerness and the House project at Eastchurch Village Hall. The cash was confirmed in May but the announcement was delayed until after the general election.