Breakfast Club’s decade delivering student sustenance

Thomas Walling Primary Academy, Broadwood Primary and Mountfield Primary marked a decade of breakfasts of champions at three “parties” this week, as they each took delivery of the latest of over 400,000 meals gifted to the schools in the past ten years. 

The schools have been part of the Greggs Foundation’s Breakfast Club programme since 2013, after Ian Gallagher, assistant director operational property services for Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), approached the high street giant to help provide food to the schools.

Ian was introduced to the Greggs Breakfast Club, founded in 1999, to help address rising food poverty in communities across the UK, and soon the schools were taking delivery of a raft of healthy breakfasts for hungry children.

Ian said: “Coming off the back of a deep recessions in 2013, we were seeing a worrying rise in child hunger across our communities, and we had to find ways of supporting vulnerable families. Ten years ago, this issue resonated with me, as my son was seven and of primary school age - no one wants to imagine children hungry at school, which is known to impact their ability to concentrate and engage in class.

“YHN works closely with schools across the city and we were hearing more and more cases of youngsters arriving at school hungry. We knew action was needed and this was an issue that wasn’t going away and we knew the Greggs Foundation was supporting schools with Breakfast Clubs by providing funding and the right support that they needed.”

On learning of the plight of the schools in the company’s home city, the then Greggs CEO, Ken McMeikan, helped organise support, first helping enrol Thomas Walling Primary onto the programme, soon followed by Mountfield Primary and Broadwood Primary School.

A decade later and YHN’s partnership with the Greggs Foundation has grown, with 400,000 children receiving breakfasts since the programme started. There are currently approximately 210 children benefitting from the programme at the schools.

As a central part of their communities, all schools in the Greggs Breakfast Club network also benefit from access to The Greggs Foundation Hardship Fund.  The fund can supply food, clothing and utility vouchers, as well as new home appliances like washing machines and ovens.  Whether it’s new school uniforms or just filling empty cupboards with groceries, the Hardship Fund is a unique benefit for Breakfast Club schools and an essential extra layer of support for families in need. 

Tina Drury, Group Managing Director of YHN, said: “Like foodbanks, it is desperate that programmes like these must exist, but they are so important to ensuring youngsters in areas of real economic decline get at least one good meal every day.

“Greggs Foundation is doing incredible work and I’m so pleased that YHN has been able to play a small part in bringing them together, Hopefully, one day we won’t need to have school breakfast clubs, but while we do it’s reassuring to know Greggs is there to help out.”

Rebecca Hann, Headteacher at Thomas Walling Primary Academy, said: “The value of a strong and settled start to a child’s day is immeasurable. We do everything we can to

support our children and their families and are all too aware of the increased financial pressures that many families are facing at the moment. 

“The support from Your Homes Newcastle and the Greggs Foundation ensures that our children have access to a healthy breakfast. The club provides opportunities for more than just a full tummy, it also gives children the chance to develop friendships and social skills so that they enter the classroom with a positive mindset, ready to learn. Classes can also access a simple breakfast of toast and a drink and the smell of toast creates a welcoming and homely atmosphere across the whole school.”

The Greggs Foundation aims to support 1,000 school Breakfast Clubs, providing some 70,000 meals each school day, by 2025.

Tracy Lynch, Greggs Foundation manager, said: “Dealing with hunger can make it so much harder to concentrate and learn, often negatively affecting a child’s academic potential. Something as simple as knowing you have a breakfast every morning can have a huge impact when dealing with a busy classroom environment.  

“We are nearing 800 Greggs Breakfast Clubs across the UK, serving wholesome, free breakfasts to nearly 50,000 children every school day.  It’s because of the support from wonderful partners like YHN that we can help schools like Thomas Walling Primary Academy, Broadwood Primary, and Mountfield Primary, but thanks must also go to the fantastic staff and volunteer team who make each breakfast club happen every single day.”