Greggs and Newcastle Falcons Tackle Health at North Fawdon

Monday 23 March 2015 Written by: Adam


A participant in the Greggs Breakfast Club programme for almost two years, North Fawdon is now seeing added benefit from the scheme after Newcastle Falcons became official sponsors of the school’s breakfast club.

And the partnership between Greggs and the Falcons has brought even greater benefit to the school as the two organisations partnered up to deliver their Tackling Health programme to pupils.

Falcons player Alex Tait and Club Captain Will Welch recently paid a visit to the school to officially launch the Aviva Premiership side’s partnership with Greggs and to celebrate World Book Day with staff and pupils from North Fawdon.

Alison Cairns, Headteacher of North Fawdon Primary School explained:

“The breakfast club welcomes everybody in for an early start and sets the tone for the day. Children get chance to talk to each other and then come in settled and ready for school. It also enables us to ensure that the children are getting a healthy breakfast and reassures parents that, even if they’re running late, there’s always a healthy breakfast waiting for their children. Without the funding from the Falcons and Greggs this may be something we could run, but something else would have to give.”

Complementing the work of the breakfast club, North Fawdon recently became one of the first schools in the area to take part in the Greggs and Newcastle Falcons Tackling Health programme, which teaches healthy eating and life skills through a mixture of classroom-based and rugby-related practical sessions.

Mrs Cairns continued: “The Tackling Health programme is in its early stages but it’s showing us a difference already. The mixture of theory backed up by sessions on the pitch allows us to teach our children the life skills they need to be successful adults, such as commitment and resilience.

“We’re also noticing that on trips, when children bring their own packed lunches, all of the work we’re doing on healthy eating is being backed up, and as we see it a healthy diet leads to a healthy mind.”

North Fawdon pupil Kate Turnbull, 11, backed up the praise, explaining: “The breakfast club makes it easier for us and our parents, and gets our minds started first thing. I really enjoy playing rugby too and the Falcons lessons teach lots about healthy eating and other things as well.”

Speaking of the partnership with Greggs, Newcastle Falcons Head of Community and Marketing Melanie Magee said:

“The Breakfast Club is a great initiative and we’re delighted to be able to support it at one of our local schools, North Fawdon. Our sponsorship of the Breakfast Club perfectly complements the work we are doing with Greggs at North Fawdon and other schools across the region on our Tackling Health Programme.

“We brought some of the players along to the school with us today to help remind children of the importance of eating healthily. We held the launch on World Book Day to reiterate another important part of the school curriculum and to join in with the school’s celebrations on the day.”

Lynne Hindmarch, Greggs Breakfast Club Manager said: “The breakfast club programme is ingrained within Greggs now and all of our staff really get behind it. We provide low fat and low sugar menu options to each school and supply their bread through a local store but also rely on our staff and partners to provide fundraising for individual clubs.

“North Fawdon is one of 326 schools involved in the programme and it’s been great to continue to develop their Breakfast Club through the funds provided by Newcastle Falcons.”

For more information on Newcastle Falcons’ work in the community please click [here][1], and for more information on the Greggs Breakfast Club initiative visit [www.greggsfoundation.org.uk][2].

[1]: http://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/Pages/Community/Overview
[2]: http://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk