Award success for Shire Services
Shropshire Council’s catering and cleaning team, Shire Services, is celebrating after winning a prestigious award for their work encouraging healthy eating in primary schools.
The team came top in the Public Sector Catering Awards 2024 in the Marketing Award category.
Shire Services provide catering services to more than 40,000 children and young people in schools which reflects the council’s Healthy People priority in The Shropshire Plan.
Their marketing strategy features a marketing ‘pick and mix’ planner for primary schools to use to increase income and customer engagement.
Shire Services win a marketing award.
l-to-r: Lauren Moore, Shire Services catering area manager; Jon White, Wafflemeister – sponsors of the award; Susan Vuli, Shire Services general manager; Kelly Braddock, Shire Services catering contract manager; Colin Murray, TV and radio presenter.
They also introduced activities using a brand-new mascot, Sammy the Sweetcorn Cob, and engaged with parents and pupils through cooking clubs and gardening activities.
Parents were invited into schools to dine with their child in an initiative called “Come Dine With Me”, to experience the quality of school meals for themselves.
In total there are 21 initiatives that primary schools can use to increase engagement and ultimately increase income, reducing the need for a subsidised catering service within schools.
Susan Vuli, general manager of Shire Services, said:-
“We are thrilled to have won this award.
“To be recognised by catering industry leaders for our work within schools to improve the lunchtime experience of thousands of children daily is exceptional.
“This is prestigious, as Shire Services not only went up against other education catering providers in schools, colleges and universities, but also caterers from other sectors of the industry including care settings, hospitals and the Armed Forces.”
Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and assets, said:-
“I’m delighted that Shire Services have won this award, It’s a marvellous achievement in a highly competitive industry, and confirms how passionate Shire Services are about the children they feed.
“Clearly we wanted to improve our marketing value for schools, to ensure that we could support a wider approach to education and increase income, to offset the recent cost of living crisis.
“Facing these challenges head on is key to ensuring that Shire Services remain competitive, high achieving, and demonstrate best practice to our clients.”
