A BREAKFAST club for school pupils in Musselburgh has been shortlisted for a national award.

Pinkie St Peter’s Out of School Club is in the running to be named Best Breakfast Club in Scotland 2017 at the annual Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards.

It will receive a £1,000 cash prize or a £5,000 breakfast club makeover if it is named the UK Grand Winner, plus a trip to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster in December.

Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards champion the people and activities that make breakfast clubs great – from inspirational volunteers to invaluable extra learning sessions.

About 30 children attend Pinkie St Peter’s Out of School Club every morning before school.

The club encourages them to show off their singing and acting talents by organising shows for pupils and staff.

Kirsty Clarke, manager of Pinkie St Peter’s breakfast club, said: “We are really excited and incredibly proud to be shortlisted in this year’s Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards.

“Writing our entry gave us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the fantastic children who attend every morning, not to mention the hard-working staff.

“If we’re lucky enough to win the award for Best Breakfast Club in Scotland we’ll spend the prize money on breakfast supplies as well as a quiet sensory area for the club so children can take some time out to prepare for the school day ahead.”

Many schools fund their breakfast club through the school budget but, according to teachers, cuts in funding are making this more challenging.

In a recent report commissioned by Kellogg’s entitled ‘The future of school breakfast clubs: a funding crisis in the UK’, 43 per cent of teachers said their breakfast club could face closure in the next three years.

Kate Prince, Kellogg’s corporate social responsibility manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “So many clubs across the UK deserve recognition and after receiving more than 500 applications, it’s been tough to pick our shortlists from so many inspiring stories.

“Breakfast clubs like Pinkie St Peter’s play a vital role in society.

“Thanks to the staff’s dedication, they support working parents and offer opportunities to increase informal learning with activities, and socialisation.”

Kellogg’s has supported breakfast clubs for the last 19 years and offers funding, food and training to 3,000 clubs across the UK.

A specialist panel of judges will now assess all 38 shortlisted entries across the UK and the winners will be announced on Monday through BreakfastClub Awards.co.uk