St Mark’s Primary School, Irvine

St Mark’s Primary School received £500 to help it run a daily breakfast
club, which aims to reduce the stress of the morning routine for families
and children, offering them a healthy breakfast before school starts.

Each child taking part in the breakfast club receives a healthy meal to help
them kickstart their day, as well an opportunity to enjoy further social
interactions with their friends. The project was put on hold during the
recent pandemic; however, the grant has supported the school in buying
new equipment such as plates and tea towels, helping to re-establish the
breakfast club, which sees between 80 to 100 children in attendance daily.

Claire McKie, Principal Teacher, said:

“Our Breakfast Club helps to support children and families in alleviating the stress of morning routines,
especially during this challenging time. We aim to ensure that every child can receive a healthy breakfast and a good start to their school day so that they’re ready to focus, concentrate and learn as soon as the bell goes at 9am.


“We’d like to thank all of the team at Tesco and the kind customers who voted for our cause and help us to relaunch these vital Breakfast Club sessions following the recent pandemic.”

RNLI Cromer

Awarded a £4,000 grant in 2018, the money has gone towards funding the vital lifeguard services the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) provides at Cromer beach, Norfolk. With approximately 95% of RNLI crew serving as volunteers, funding is essential – and has gone a long way to helping the lifeguards in Cromer beach.

Lifeguard Supervisors Sam Kendrick and Ted Morgan cover 19 beaches across North Norfolk, and get training tests every 30 days. They’re also trained to first responder level, which has proven to be a lifesaver – literally:

“A few of our current and ex-colleagues have actually used their first responder training to save a life on dry land. One lifeguard resuscitated a man who had a heart attack in a pub. He performed chest compressions for 45 minutes until the paramedics arrived.”

Above all, the RNLI’s most important mission is to educate.

RNLI Fundraising Manager, Ben Black, explains:

“We have all the high-grade equipment but we don’t want to use it. We want to educate people so that they don’t need to be rescued.”

The Norfolk lifeguards also hold free sessions for schoolchildren to learn the dangers of the sea and what to do if they get in trouble.

Cromer Lifeboat Operations Manager, Richard Leeds, has been volunteering with the lifeboat association for 25 years now. Its residence is the RNLI Lester, which is used for rescues that are further afield.

He says:

“We rely a lot on public funding so, considering that a boat like this costs around £2.5 million to make, schemes such as Tesco’s Bags of Help are a brilliant help.”

To find out more about the RNLI, visit https://rnli.org/.

Bearded Fishermen

“We want our community to feel loved and that they don’t need to be alone at all”

The organisation aims to increase awareness of mental health and prevent suicide by providing support, safety and comfort. They provide a 24/7 service and run support groups for men, women and children.

The Bearded Fishermen support groups and drop-ins are set to increase, providing continued comfort after counselling periods have ended. The 24-hour suicide prevention service allows anyone to receive support via telephone or in person where necessary, alleviating pressure on medical services.

http://www.beardedfishermen.org.uk/

f: @beardedfishermencharity

t: @Brdfishermen_uk