NO child will go hungry, a headteacher has declared following the launch of her school’s new breakfast club.

Blackburn’s St Antony's Roman Catholic School yesterday marked the official opening of the school’s new and improved breakfast club.

Around 100 schoolchildren, along with parents, volunteers and teachers, visited the school from 8am to celebrate the opening with their new sponsors, Euro Garages and the Greggs Foundation.

Times have been tough for the Shadsworth Road school which has been struggling to host a breakfast club for its 120 junior school pupils over the last three years.

Around 60 junior school pupils regularly used the club and school bosses said it was a struggle to finance it themselves.

The school has now received a grant from Euro Garages to support the school, while the Greggs Foundation will also work with the school to provide breakfasts for up to 100 schoolchildren a day.

Heather McGowan, who has been the school’s headteacher for over three years, says this will help deprived and low-income families with children at the school.

She said: “We have been providing free toast to junior school pupils over the last three years but it has been a struggle because we were having to fund it ourselves and the school was regularly losing money.

“The new deal will take the pressure both off the school and the families who are struggling on low income.

“A hungry child cannot learn well, and in the current economic climate, parents are struggling to make ends meet. Now, no child will be hungry.”

Euro Garages have donated new equipment, including a fridge freezer, new toys and games, and they will be donating around 50 loaves of bread a week.

A new menu has been introduced which will include croissants, cereal, fresh fruit, toast while fruit juice, milk and water will be available for thirsty students.

Javid Patel, development manager for Euro Garages Group, said: “We are very proud that our first breakfast club launch is in Blackburn.”

“We look forward to developing this partnership."