Dimensions Supports Local Greggs’ Breakfast Club

Dimensions has been working with Greggs PLC since July 2014, supplying their workforce with polo shirts, caps, aprons and trousers. Greggs Foundation is the corporate charity of Greggs PLC and currently manages five grant programmes, one of which is the Breakfast Club Programme, which was established in 1999. As part of Dimensions’ ongoing relationship with Greggs PLC, in early 2016 the company was invited to take part in the Breakfast Club Programme, as a Supporter.

Greggs Foundation oversees more than 400 Breakfast Clubs across the UK, providing breakfast to over 4 million school children a year. Breakfast Clubs are run by volunteers from the school, including parents and are free of charge to ensure that all children can attend. Upon start-up, all Clubs are supported by the Greggs Foundation, however additional funding is required from partners to help meet the identified needs of the schools in the community.

The Foundation uses the money given through partnership funding to support initial start-up costs, such as purchasing equipment for food preparation and activities for the children. Partnership funding is key to the sustainability of the Breakfast Club Programme, as it has a sizable waiting list and therefore it is important for the Foundation to obtain as much support as possible. This enables Greggs Foundation to be able to fund more schools on the waiting list, whilst partners can sponsor schools local to them.

In early 2016, Greggs invited Dimensions to participate in the Breakfast Club Programme, as part of its ongoing partnership with them. Having worked together for two years previously, Greggs was aware of Dimensions’ charity work and commitment to helping the local community where it can.

Dimensions was invited to become a Supporter of a local school, so requested a list of the schools in closest proximity to its head office which are eligible for the scheme. Schools applying for the scheme must meet certain criteria, for example, at least 40% of the pupils attending the school must be eligible to receive free school meals.

In August 2016, Dimensions started supporting Roe Farm Primary School in Derby, which at the time was being funded by the Greggs Foundation. Running since 2010, Roe Farm’s Breakfast Club had funding levels to support 30 children, but with Dimensions’ support, it will enable more of the 410 pupils to attend this fantastic facility. By taking over the funding from the Greggs Foundation, it allowed the charity to support another school on the waiting list for a Breakfast Club and Dimensions could give back to its local community.

As part of Dimensions’ support of Roe Farm’s Breakfast Club, staff from the company will be volunteering their time both at the Breakfast Club and in extra-curricular activities, including teaching the children about different careers to consider as they grow up.

Supporting Roe Farm’s Breakfast Club has had a positive impact on Dimensions’ partnership with Greggs. Although the relationship was already strong, as the Foundation is very much at the heart of Greggs’ wider business, getting involved in the Breakfast Club scheme and working with them as their partner has helped the two organisations to develop this further. Supporting the school has also been very beneficial for the children of Roe Farm Primary School, as more of the children at the school can now be provided with free breakfast.