Blaenau Gwent Council’s school catering team have scooped a Welsh Government Food in Schools Award for their commitment to rolling out free school meals for all primary school pupils.
Blaenau Gwent is ahead of the Welsh target to provide a free school lunch to all primary aged pupils as all primary children in the borough are already entitled to our healthy, tasty meals completely free of charge!
A huge amount of work has gone into making this happen, especially in recruiting from the local community, training staff and working with colleagues in Education, the local health board, dieticians, suppliers, and Technical Services to upgrade school kitchens to cope with the increase in meals.
The award was picked up at the Local Authority Catering Association (LACA) Awards ceremony which took place at the Vale Resort Mid Glamorgan and aims to recognise individuals and teams who continue to make a real difference in education catering.
Councillors Helen Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Place & Environment and Sue Edmunds, Cabinet Member for People & Education said:
“We’re so proud of our dedicated school catering team here at Blaenau Gwent Council, and all the hardworking staff in our schools, who are feeding our children and young people. Thanks also to our Technical Services department who have helped with a programme of upgrades to ensure our school kitchens are up to the task.
“Being able to offer a free school lunch to all primary aged pupils in the borough ahead of the Welsh Government target is just fantastic and means a lot to families who are struggling financially in these difficult times.
“The catering team are committed to always delivering the best quality and the award recognises this – well done all!”
