Wesleyan provides funding for 500,000 breakfasts for children
The Wesleyan Foundation has reached a milestone by funding over half a million breakfasts for schoolchildren.
Wesleyan, founded in Birmingham in 1841, has donated £145,500 to charity Magic Breakfast since 2019, including £53,000 so far this year.
Magic Breakfast provides healthy breakfasts to children and young people in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn as well as expert support to their schools.
Nathan Wallis, Chief of Staff at Wesleyan, said: “As a mutual with a strong ethos of care, we want to support projects through the Wesleyan Foundation that matter to our customers, many of whom are teachers.
“Magic Breakfast does incredible work helping children start their school day with the nutrition and energy they need to learn and develop. We’re proud to support them as they continue their vital work to ensure no child is too hungry to learn.”
Ali Roberts, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Magic Breakfast, said: “The current cost-of-living crisis is really stretching family finances and this is sadly having a knock-on effect on the number of children and young people at risk of going to school hungry. When a child is hungry, they cannot learn and this can impact their education and life chances.
“We are incredibly grateful to Wesleyan Foundation for their generous donation which is enabling us to provide free, nutritious breakfasts to pupils across the UK, giving them the chance to reach their full potential.”
Independent research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies has shown that pupils in primary school receiving a nutritious ‘magic breakfast’ boosted their attainment at Key Stage 1 by an average of two months’ additional progress over the course of a year, compared to children in schools with no such provision.
Alongside this, 94 per cent of Magic Breakfast partner schools report that breakfast provision has a positive impact on energy levels and boosts concentration, and 93 per cent report increased readiness to learn.
