The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP joined the children of St Boniface RC Primary School in Salford this morning (Friday 22
nd January) to launch the school’s new breakfast club. Established with the help and support of Kellogg’s and leading learning organisation ContinYou, Mrs Blears joined the children for breakfast and presented a certificate of congratulations in recognition of the new club.
Gisella Steedman, Acting Deputy Head, set up the breakfast club after she attended the North West Breakfast Club Master class, run by ContinYou in December at Kellogg’s head office in Trafford. Commenting after receiving the certificate on behalf of the school, Mrs Steedman said; “We wanted to provide our children with the best start to their school day so after careful consultation with parents we decided we needed a breakfast club so the children could have a healthy breakfast in a caring and fun environment. When we were offered a start up grant from Kellogg’s and ContinYou, a smoothie maker from Wiseman Dairies and the chance to learn how to set up the club, we jumped at the chance.”
The opening of this club in Salford is part of Kellogg’s commitment to the government’s Change4life initiative. One in six UK children go to school each day without eating breakfast so Kellogg’s has been working with ContinYou since 1998 to help solve this problem by developing and supporting breakfast clubs in the UK.
Hazel Blears MP was only too glad to lend her support; “It is great to be here today and see first hand what a vital role these clubs play in our community. I hope this encourages and inspires other schools in the area to set up breakfast clubs of their own. Breakfast clubs are about so much more than just eating breakfast, they provide informal learning environments and can play a really positive role in improving pupils’ attendance”.
Tony Apicella, ContinYou's National Programme Director said, "The Master Class Grant Programme offers schools a 'kick start' in establishing a new breakfast club provision. In turn, the clubs support the needs of local children, young people and families and adds value to the everyday lives of those who attend."
Bruce Learner, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Kellogg’s said: ““Our aim is to ensure children in the 500 most deprived areas of the UK have access to a breakfast club by 2013. We are not providing cereals for this breakfast club; the breakfast menu is decided by the school. We simply want to promote “breakfast culture”; making time to eat breakfast in a safe, warm and stimulating environment.”
Wiseman Dairies have teamed up with Kellogg’s and Continyou to provide each new breakfast club with a Wiseman smoothie maker.
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For more information please contact Kate Hannah on 0161 869 5035 / 07812 355441.
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