Pupils at a Cardiff primary school will be joined by a very special guest for lunch next week.
Hawthorn Primary School in Llandaff North will welcome Falklands War hero Simon Weston to join the children for a meal as part of preparations for National School Meals Week later this year.
The former Welsh Guardsman will be visiting the school on Tuesday, June 21 to speak to pupils and film a video that will be used to promote National School Meals Week in November (7-11), and in particular Get Remembering Day on November 11.
National School Meals Week has been running since 1993 and is organised by the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA). The week encourages schoolchildren to enjoy a healthy school meal that meets the nutritional standards laid down by the Government.
Get Remembering Day is part of National School Meals Week when young people across the country will be encouraged to think about those who have given their lives or been injured during war.
Simon will speak to the children at assembly before taking part in filming and then sitting down to a tasty lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with the children.
Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “It will be a great privilege and experience for the children of Hawthorn Primary School to meet Simon Weston. I’m sure that they will find his visit extremely interesting and relish the opportunity to ask him questions about his life.
“It’s fantastic that Simon is adding his support to the National School Meals Week campaign. Here in Cardiff we are very proud of our school meals service which provides healthy and nutritious meals to thousands of children across the city every day. I’m sure he will enjoy meeting the children at Hawthorn Primary and joining them for a delicious lunch.”
Hawthorn headteacher Geoff Cresswell, said: “We are delighted to welcome Simon to the school. He is a powerful role-model and I am sure that his visit will inspire the children. It will also be an enjoyable experience for him to share lunch with us and get to know some of our children.”
Simon Weston said: “Food is a very important part of a soldiers’ life and even more so when they are injured. I realise that good eating habits and positive attitudes to food start at an early age and that is why I am so pleased to be supporting this initiative by LACA and National School Meals Week in November. I think it is fantastic that thanks to the Internet my talk can be downloaded into schools across the country and so make a real difference”.
