Primula Cheese and Children North East to provide £170,000 funding to battle North East child poverty

Kavli Trust, owner of the famous Primula Cheese, have funded a £170,000 project to battle the impact of child poverty in our region. The project is working in collaboration with Children North East which will distribute the funding over the next year to introduce the Poverty Proofing© the School Day programme.

Schools North East have worked closely with Children North East in the past to address the child poverty issues in the region. In February Schools North East, Children North East, North East Child Poverty and Child Poverty Action Group wrote a joint letter to the Secretaries of State addressing the National Food Strategy and Free School Meals. This message is now more relevant than ever before with the cost of living crisis raising concerns that more than 100,000 children in poverty in England are missing out on free school meals due to inflation.

All profits for charity

Kavli Trust operates across four countries and has a strong presence in the North East. The owners of Primula Cheese, have operated in the North East since the 1930s and their headquarters are in Gateshead’s Team Valley, with their factory operating there since 1963.

The company is known in the area for its philanthropy, recently donating food to Gateshead Council to support families during the pandemic. Every penny of profit Kavli brands such as Primula generates is invested in good causes, 70% within its operating countries, making £7.8m of charitable investment in 2021 alone. Now the organisation is looking to help battle child poverty across the region with the help of Children North East.

Paul Lewney, Managing Director at Kavli UK, commented:

“We are very proud to fund this important work improving the lives of children and families across the North East. For sixty years, all profits from Kavli brands, including Primula Cheese, have been used to support good causes making a difference to individuals in their local communities and to society as a whole. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this latest partnership creates.”

Poverty Proofing the School day

Children North East will work in collaboration with sixty schools across the North East, to introduce Poverty Proofing© the School Day programme. The programme will work with pupils, families and staff to identify ways that children are missing out at school due to money and come up with solutions.

According to government data, 38% of North East children live in poverty. Children living in poverty are more likely to experience low attainment, bullying and go hungry during the school day.

Lorna Nicoll, Poverty Proofing the School Day Manager, explained:

“School can be expensive. Uniforms, lunches and trips add up and we know that families, including many not eligible for free school meals, struggle to make ends meet or get into debt trying to keep up. We listen to pupils and the school community and then work with the school to come up with bespoke, creative ways to make things easier whether it’s second-hand uniform schemes, changing the times of clubs, ensuring activities don’t require materials or allowing kids to use their free school meal allowance across both break and lunch.”

The project is expected to directly benefit 8,400 pupils in first year and many more whose families are facing financial difficulty. Students attending the school in future years will also benefit.

Leigh Elliott, Chief Executive at Children North East, said:

“Kavli Trust’s generous support for our Poverty Proofing© work has made it possible to help schools create a school day in which every child can take part fully, regardless of their financial background. The funding could not come at a more important time as more families see their finances stretched by the rising cost-of-living.”

Poverty Proofing© the School Day is a nationally recognised tool, supporting schools to remove barriers for students living in poverty. Delivered by the charity Children North East, Poverty Proofing the School Day supports schools and education settings to identify the

barriers children living in poverty face to engaging fully with school life and its opportunities.

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East commented:

“We are pleased to learn that Primula Cheese is bringing £170,000 in funding to Children North East to battle the impact of child poverty in our region’s schools. As we witnessed during the exam period this summer, the disadvantage gap has widened and the North East has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic which exacerbated existing high levels of deprivation. Now, with the cost-of-living-crisis as well, it is more important than ever to invest in our young people. Thank you to Children North East for always supporting our schools and to Primula Cheese for their generosity.”

Schools North East and Children North East letter to the Secretaries of State can be read here: https://mcusercontent.com/12a4bd639231413c724e87521/files/40ca0314-89d2-fd7c-696d-45d2af9a932e/NECPC_CNE_SNE_CPAG_letter_on_National_Food_Strategy_FSMs_07_02_22.pdf

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