The bakery giant Greggs announced the opening of a new Breakfast Club at Ivingswood Academy in Chesham.

The club gives 50 children in need a free, nutritional breakfast in the morning and a space to chat and engage with school staff before classes.

Breakfast options include toast, low sugar cereal, fruit, yoghurt, juice, and milk.

Lynne Hindmarch, Breakfast Club Manager for the Greggs Foundation, said: “No child should ever start their day without breakfast, which is why we’re delighted to be opening a new Breakfast Club at Ivingswood Academy. 

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“Through Breakfast Clubs such as this, we’re able to support over 46,500 children each day nationally, and new openings like the one at Ivingswood Academy are helping us to continue heading towards reaching our target of serving 70,000 breakfasts each school day by 2025.”

Pre-pandemic figures from the poverty research charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation show one in three children - or 4.1 million - live in poverty in the UK (2019), including poverty with working parents. 

In 2020, around 550,000 children experienced destitution. 

The research identified "inadequate benefit levels and debt deductions, particularly the repayable advance many people are forced to borrow to cover the minimum five-week wait for Universal Credit" as key drivers of destitution in the country. 

To help tackle food poverty, Greggs customers can donate a free breakfast to a child.

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