Fife College students Cameron Lark, Elaine Gray, Paige Stewart and Lucy Kay promote the Breakfast Club at the College’s Dunfermline Campus.
Students at Fife College are being given a tasty start to their day thanks to a free Breakfast Club which was launched this week in the College’s five campuses throughout Fife.
This new and tasty initiative means that all students can enjoy free toast, cereal or porridge and a cup of tea or coffee every day, courtesy of the College in partnership with Aramark, the College’s catering contractor. Free hot rolls will also be available on a Friday.
The Fife College Breakfast Club has been introduced by the College following evidence that an astonishing 1 in 7 young people attend school or college without having breakfast, mainly because they cannot afford it. This has a detrimental effect on their studies, their attendance, their health and their wellbeing.
Within Scotland 20% of working age people are living in food poverty and reliance on food banks is on the increase.
Hugh Hall, Fife College Principal, is confident that the new Breakfast Club will be a resounding success, encouraging students to eat breakfast and in turn improve their experience at College.
Hugh said: “We all know that eating breakfast is an important part of the day and successful schemes elsewhere in the country have shown that it has had a positive impact on students, their attention span and retention levels. We want to energise our students and unleash their potential and we are hoping to help do that through this new scheme at Fife College.
“The Breakfast Club is inclusive, providing a free service for all students regardless of means, therefore reducing the stigma surrounding poverty. We know that many students who withdrew from College courses last year were from the most deprived areas. We are confident that the Breakfast Club will play its small part in helping to turn that around."
Elaine Gray, from Dunfermline, was one of the first students to pay a visit to the Breakfast Club. Elaine said: “I think the Breakfast Club is a fantastic idea - it will certainly help improve my concentration! I know a lot of other students who choose an extra bit of sleep over breakfast so to be able to have a free breakfast for everyone at the start of the college day is a great idea.”
S5 pupils from Woodmill High, currently being accommodated at the College’s Dunfermline Campus following the recent fire at the secondary school, were also some of the first to enjoy the new Breakfast Club.
Deborah Burnside, Aramark Director of Operations, said: “Our top priority is to ensure that students have nutritious meals to start their day so they are well nourished and ready to learn. At Aramark we are committed to enriching and nourishing the lives of everyone we serve, so we are very proud to be involved in this wonderful initiative.”
Free breakfast is available Monday to Friday 8.30-9.30am in the College’s Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Rosyth and Levenmouth Campuses during term time.
