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Denes High School Campaign

posted 21 Sept 2010 back to News

Students at Denes High School in Lowestoft are urging local people to back their bid to win a national competition for the canteen of their dreams.

Denes students are calling for everyone to rally behind the school and vote for their plans to create a dining room to be proud of. The school was named as 1 of only 10 shortlisted schools in the country in the competition launched by the School Food Trust. With over 1500 schools having registered an interest in the project they are now only 1 step away from realising a dream!

Part of the Trust’s Canteen Rescue project to help schools try simple measures to encourage more children to eat healthy school meals, the competition will give five school canteens professional makeovers after a public vote on plans drawn up by pupils themselves.

Student Georgina Hall, 14 said: “Our dining hall is outdated and dull but we have some great ideas to turn it around. We’ve worked so hard on the plans but we’re up against tough competition, so we’re depending on everyone in Lowestoft to get behind us and vote!”

The Denes plans include new furniture and decoration and the remodelling of an outside garden area with permanent parasols to encourage students and staff to eat outside. As a recently accredited Food for Life Flagship school the Denes is already leading the way with healthy and nutritious locally sourced food and is playing a major role in educating other schools.

Anyone can vote for Denes by visiting www.getreal.uk.com/canteenrescue.
Voting opens on 04th October, it’s completely free and open to anyone. Winners will be announced on 1st November, and winning schools will feature in a film being produced by the Trust to inspire other schools to improve their canteens.

School Food Trust Chief Executive Judy Hargadon said: “When children walk into a dining hall that is crowded, noisy and unattractive, they vote with their feet – no matter what is on the menu. The danger is that the huge efforts which have gone into improving the quality of school food will quite literally go in the bin unless schools tackle the environment in which it is served.

“We’ve had a fantastic response to the competition and we hope all ten finalists will inspire other schools to consider improving their canteens – there are really easy things they can do which don’t cost the earth.”

The project is being lead by Operations Manager Justin Smith who commented “Being selected by the celebrity judging panel as one of 1of only 10 schools in the country is a huge achievement for our students. We really must encourage everyone to vote for the school, it’s such a simple thing to do – one click of a mouse – but it would make a huge difference to our school community to have a canteen they can be proud of.”

Denes High School, Yarmouth Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 4AH
01502 574474 www.denes.suffolk.sch.uk