Free breakfasts for SWC students

SOUTH West College has launched free ‘Breakfast Clubs’ across all its campuses, as they seek to support students and local families amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The new initiative, run entirely by volunteers from the college and food supplied through donations from staff, offers free, healthy breakfasts to every student. The clubs will run at South West College’s Omagh, Dungannon, Cookstown and Enniskillen campuses every Monday to Wednesday from 8.15am to 9am.

Celine McCartan, chief executive at South West College, said, “This is a great initiative, and I am very grateful to the college staff who are supporting this. This means students can get a quick breakfast as soon as they get to college which sets them up for the day ahead.

“We are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our students as well as actively addressing inequality. Benefits include alleviating financial anxiety, providing another social outlet and positively impacting our student’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“We hope that the initiative will support the return of all students to campus and foster a sense of community.

“We are already seeing many students participating in the Breakfast Club and the feedback from students and staff has been very encouraging. We look forward to growing and developing this scheme to meet the needs of all our students.”

Sharon Pritchard, student engagement and support manager at the College, said, “As we all know, it is important for everyone to start the day with a nutritious breakfast, yet evidence suggests a lot of our students are likely to be starting their college day too hungry to learn, potentially impacting their learning experience and their overall health and wellbeing.

“Some students may have just missed breakfast in the morning, while others may be struggling financially.

“At SWC, wellness is a major focus, and we are delighted to offer this initiative to everyone so that every learner has access to a nutritious breakfast before they start their academic day.”