Almost 90 schools benefited from recent council food support programme Fermanagh

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council allocated £70,000 to primary and secondary schools in the District for additional food provision, aimed at alleviating food insecurity for the pupil population.

St Mary’s Primary School, Tempo was one of the many schools who benefited from the School Food Support Programme which was funded by the Department for Communities. With the funding received St Mary’s Primary School, Tempo introduced a nine-week Fitness Fridays program. All 146 pupils were provided with fruit and water after a fitness session with a coach.

Commenting on the support St Mary’s Primary School received, Principal, Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick said,

“We are delighted to be involved in this initiative and can already see the benefits of it. Thanks to the funding received from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, many children are sampling new fruits which they hadn’t previously experienced and are now encouraging their parents to buy fruit for them as a snack during the week. We are also noticing children are drinking more water. The entire pupil population and their parents benefitted from this scheme, regardless of circumstances. This inclusive approach has had positive impact on the pupils and parents.”

Erne Integrated College, Enniskillen, another school who benefited from the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council School Food Support Programme, hosted a range of food support initiatives, such as a breakfast club and a cookery learning support club. The various initiatives were carried out during December, with over two hundred students benefiting.

Commenting on the support Erne Integrated College, Enniskillen, received, Principal, Mr D McLaughlin, said,

“We wish to thank Fermanagh and Omagh District Council for the opportunity to be involved with this initiative. Many of our students have developed their cookery skills in the Learning Support Cookery Club thanks to this funding. Another benefit was to be able to provide a dessert for all students at our school Christmas Dinner. Students with Free School Meals would not have been able to cover the entire meal cost, but by using the funding to cover the dessert, no student missed out. We are very pleased to have been a part of this programme.”

Commenting on the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Food Support for Schools programme, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Cllr Thomas O’ Reilly said,

“I am pleased that the Council, in conjunction with the Department for Communities, is supporting children in our district.

Unfortunately, latest data estimates that 27% of the population in the Fermanagh and Omagh District is living in relative poverty.

The Council is committed to ensuring that our people are healthy and well physically, emotionally and mentally. We hope this Food Support for Schools programme, will have helped provide food for those in need especially during the winter months, which are often especially tough months financially for households.

I would like to thank all the schools who participated in this programme and for the innovative schemes you put in place to make the best use of the funds allocated to you.”

This Food Support for Schools programme was part of a wider Fuel and Food Support programme where £310,000, which was funded by the Department of Communities (DfC), was allocated to help struggling households, older people, and children across the district through charities and relevant organisations. More information on the wider Fuel and Food Support programme: www.fermanaghomagh.com/article/council-has-allocated-funds-for-fuel-and-food-support/