Inverness College offers free breakfasts to students amid cost-of-living crisis
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Free breakfasts are being offered to students at Inverness College UHI in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
All students can now enjoy free toast, butter and jam on campus between 10am and 11.30am, every weekday morning.
More than 165 free breakfasts were provided to students in its first week.
The initiative is one of only a handful of college breakfast clubs in the country.
Lindsay Snodgrass, assistant principal for student experience and quality, said the college was aware many of its students attended college without having breakfast, simply because they could not afford it.
“Research shows that eating breakfast not only gives you energy for the morning ahead, but it also improves memory and concentration to support learning, as well as improves your mental and physical wellbeing,” she said.
“We know many students face significant challenges to sustain and complete their studies, so it’s important we do all we can to support them so they can progress on to positive destinations.”
It is just one of several ‘share the warmth’ initiatives at the college which includes a donation scheme to support students in need of clothing and toiletries.
The college is also exploring a ‘pay it forward’ scheme in its canteens.
It builds on existing support available as more students return to campus, with a return to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face teaching planned for September.
Ruth McFadyen, president of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA) in Inverness, welcomed the introduction of the breakfast club, saying it would benefit those students most in need, by providing a free breakfast and ensuring they had a good start to the day.
“This will have a positive effect on their studies and overall wellbeing,” she said.
NUS Scotland recently published its Broke report looking at the issue of student poverty in Scotland.
It said 35 per cent of students have considered dropping out of their course due to financial difficulties.
It also found 64 per cent had experienced mental ill-health because of financial pressures and 60 per worried or stressed about their finances “frequently” or “all the time”.
The college said support for students’ health and wellbeing remained a top priority.
It has a dedicated student support team on campus, with every student assigned a designated member of staff to support them.
The college also provides tailored support to help students who are care experienced and those who have caring responsibilities, as well as providing extra help settling into college for anyone who needs it.
Tailored learning support as well as 24/7 access to mental health and wellbeing support is also available to students, along with discretionary hardship funding for those in financial difficulties.
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