The children were treated to a traditional Christmas Dinner of: Roast Turkey, Roasted and Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Brussell Sprouts, Stuffing followed by a selection of Christmas Puddings all prepared in the Army Field Kitchen by the Light Dragoons Master Chef and members of the Taylor Shaw Catering team. The meals were all paid for through the Universal Free School Meals Scheme, Taylor Shaw and the School Fund.
Last week, Vane Road School kitchens were condemned due to high levels of CO2. This meant the school had to take the difficult decision to cancel Christmas Dinner as they did not have the capacity to provide up to 400 meals for the children. One of our parents who is in the Army, took this issue to his brigade and managed to arrange for the Army Field Kitchen to be deployed thus giving the children their Christmas dinner. Not being satisfied with providing Lunch, the Army Brigade Band also came along to entertain the children with Christmas Carols as they ate. In addition to this the Army are providing all the children at the school with a present. Children joined the band playing additional percussion instruments and singing along.
Donations of over £400 were collected by the children and staff for Help For Heroes as a gesture of thanks. Dorothy Whitehouse of the Sharing Together Support Group, heard about the event and members came to school to make an additional £100 donation. Head Teacher Kieran Pavey said: “This surely encapsulates the whole spirit of Christmas. The school made a very difficult decision to cancel Christmas Dinner; the tale was heard by the Army who came to the rescue; adults from the Armed Forces, Taylor Shaw, the Local Authority and School all worked together to give the children a Christmas Dinner they will never forget.
