Sunny side up at Glasgow Clyde College with renewed breakfast club
A much-loved breakfast club at Glasgow Clyde College (GCC) has been given a huge cash boost in an ongoing bid to tackle food poverty.
According to research, 68% of students skip breakfast* at least once a week, with financial concerns being one of the reasons as to why.
Since its conception in 2022, GCC has offered its 17,000 students breakfast each day, serving on average around 2,000 bowls of cereal and cups of coffee per month.
A hugely successful initiative which was developed as a result of the increase in the cost of living, GCC has provided breakfast clubs across its three campuses, ensuring students have access to breakfast without financial worries.
A trio of Glasgow-based partners - equipment rental agency GAP Group, Civil Engineering contractor George Leslie and Sunbelt Rentals - have pledged their support with a collective cash boost of £36,000, ensuring that the club can continue for at least another three years.
John Rafferty, Deputy Principal at Glasgow Clyde College said: “In a world where rising costs seem never-ending, we’re always thinking of ways to support students where we can. We’re very proud of our breakfast clubs and we are so pleased to be able to continue offering them. Last week, we posted some of our best pass rates ever which we think is due in part to initiatives like this.
“We all know the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast, and no one should be coming to college hungry. Thanks to the support from our partners, we’ll be able to continue our breakfast clubs for years to come.”
Mark Anderson, Managing Director - Pump, Power and Environmental Divisions at GAP Group said: “At GAP, we’re proud to support Glasgow Clyde College in providing free breakfasts to students. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and making sure young people start their mornings with the fuel they need can make a real difference to their learning and wellbeing.”
Ross Faulds, National Business Development Manager at Sunbelt Rentals added: “We’re really proud to support Glasgow Clyde College’s Breakfast Club, making sure students get a nutritious start to their day. It’s all about helping build brighter futures and stronger communities.”
Tony Fry, Operations Director, George Leslie “We are delighted to partner with Glasgow Clyde College and support their Breakfast Club. By investing in the health and well-being of their students, we are actively contributing to the college's mission of inspirational learning and changing lives. We believe this initiative will have a lasting, positive impact on the students and allows us to support our local community in the important areas of education and upskilling.”
Glasgow Clyde College has the highest population of students in Scotland from SIMD10 and SIMD20 areas. Students are entitled to cereal and/or toast, along with a hot drink every day between 8.15-9.15am, free of charge, at its Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside campuses.
Images:
Top image: L-R students Verity Oneil, Madeeha Kanwal and Shory Lee
Bottom image: L-R John Clark Glasgow Clyde College, Elaine Donnelly Glasgow Clyde College, Ross Faulds Sunbelt Rentals, Mark Anderson GAP Group, Tony Fry (George Leslie Ltd), John Rafferty Glasgow Clyde College and Niall Macpherson Glasgow Clyde College.
*Research from “A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Skipping Breakfast Among College-Going Students in a Private University”, 2024.