THE hall at CBS Primary School was hive of activity when we called on Tuesday morning to hear about the benefits of a programme they have been running since last year.

Every morning, children gather there for The Breakfast Club. No, not a screening of the 80s teen classic, but a club which provides the children with a nutritious breakfast of cereal, milk and toast, which has been made possible thanks to the generous support of local businesses.

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The breakfast club was set up last year as a trial, and proved to be a tremendous success, with over 300 children attending each week.

School principal, Denis Coleman says that the school has noticed substantial benefits to providing this service.

“We initially started the breakfast club as a free service for children who, for a variety of reasons, may not get a chance to have a breakfast before school,” he said.

“It is impossible to expect a child to be ready for learning, and the busy school day if they have missed out on the most important meal of the day. However, since we started the club, the merits of it have surpassed all expectations. It has become a significant social event in the school day for a lot of our students. It provides an opportunity to kick start the day with a friendly chat with friends, exchanging news and talking about the soccer matches the night before!

“The informal aspect has really appealed to the students, as they love sitting on the benches or the mats and relaxing over a bite to eat, before starting the official school day. Teachers have noticed that students who attend the breakfast club are more relaxed, and ready for learning when they return to the classroom. We also have 6th Class pupils involved in the serving of food, and the cleaning up, which is teaching them significant life skills and responsibility also.”

The breakfast club at CBS would not be possible without the support of local businesses and organisations. The school has formed a partnership with the local Foodshare, who provide the breakfast cereals free of charge. Barry’s Bakery deliver brown and white bread fresh every morning, and Lee Strand generously sponsor the milk.

Mr Coleman acknowledged this generous support, and thanked all of those who make it possible; “We would not be able to provide this service free of charge, were it not for the significant generosity of our sponsors. We are delighted to have local suppliers on board, and we are extremely grateful to them for their support. I would like to thank Pat Phelan of Tralee Foodshare, Declan Sheehan of Lee Strand, and Paddy Barry of Barry’s Bakery in particular for their assistance with this initiative.” Scroll down for photos…