Success for the Catering Team at the Wales Food and Fun 10 Year Celebration Awards
231 Ceredigion pupils, across six schools, took part in the Welsh Local Government Association's (WLGA) Food and Fun Scheme during the 2025 summer holiday.
The Food and Fun Scheme, a WLGA grant funded initiative, is a school-based education programme that provides food and nutrition education, physical activity, enrichment sessions and healthy meals free of charge to children and young people across Wales during the summer holidays.
A staple part of the scheme, is for children to receive a health breakfast and lunch each day. The provision of food is carefully planned and delivered by Ceredigion County Council’s Catering Team, who were recently recognised for their contribution at the Wales Food and Fun 10 Year Celebration Awards, which took place on the 06 November 2025 in Cardiff. Over 130 attendees gathered to mark the 10 year celebration of Food and Fun, which was followed by an evening of awarding outstanding contribution to schemes across Wales.
Gillian Jones, Catering Manager and her team were nominated for an award, for their outstanding contribution to catering as part of Food and Fun. Gillian and her colleagues were shortlisted and awarded the ‘highly commended’ scheme catering award, presented by Gareth Thomas, Food in Schools Manager, WLGA. In support of the highly commended award, WLGA colleagues said: “Gill and her colleagues are actively involved in all Food and Fun schemes meaning children and families can get to know and engage with catering staff as well as other staff. They have helped to make food both fun and educational, with some children trying fruit and veg for the very first time. They actively seek feedback from children, parents, and staff to continuously improve the food offer and experience.”
Cllr Wyn Thomas, Cabinet Member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and Skills said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Ceredigion’s Catering Team, who play a vital role in ensuring pupils across Ceredigion have the opportunity to take part in Food and Fun Schemes, and receive nutritious and balanced meals. Extending the scheme across 6 primary schools would not be possible without the commitment of the catering staff, who see value in these important experiences for our children and young people.”
Lowri Evans, Local Authority Lead for Food and Fun, who nominated Gillian and her team said: “Under Gill’s leadership, the catering service has ensured that over the last two years alone, over 400 children received breakfast and lunch during their time attending Food and Fun. There is a lot of work involved in coordinating teams across various schemes, and planning suitable menus in line with Food and Fun principles, to ensure nutritional excellence. As an Authority it is important for us to recognise the invaluable contribution made by the catering service as part of this initiative.”
The Food and Fun 2025 promotional film can be viewed here:
12/11/2025