Barratt London, the housebuilder behind the New Market Place development on Pilgrims Way, East Ham, has donated £1,000 to Vicarage Primary School to ensure its breakfast programme can continue this new school year. The donation, which will help purchase healthy breakfast foods and refreshments, will ensure that no child starts the school day too hungry to learn.
Over the last year, professional footballer Marcus Rashford has brought the issues of childhood food poverty to the forefront of media attention, but a lot more still needs to be done, with an estimated 2.5 million children living in food insecure households, over 600,000 of which live in London[1].
Sahara Shafik, School Business Manager at Vicarage Primary School, comments: “The difference the breakfast club makes to our school community is outstanding. We have seen the children display better concentration in class, improved punctuality, and fewer disruptions to teaching. It’s fantastic to know that all of our pupils start the day right, with food in their tummy and smiles on their faces, and we would like to thank Barratt London for making that possible.”
The housebuilder’s donation comes as part of its Community Fund scheme, which sees Barratt London donate £1,000 per month to a local organisation or charity that is making a difference in the communities surrounding its developments. The donation will benefit the pupils currently signed up to the breakfast club scheme by offering a healthy start to the day and preventing hunger as a barrier to learning.
Pam Reardon, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt East London, comments: “We are proud to support Vicarage Primary School in ensuring that all of its pupils have the best possible start to the day. As a housebuilder, community is important to us, and we know it is more important than ever to support the physical health, alongside the financial wellbeing, of local families. We hope that the children at Vicarage Primary School enjoy their breakfasts, and the project takes a little bit of pressure off families that might be struggling.”
