Success for Cullivoe in national school food awards

CULLIVOE Primary School in Yell is celebrating after scooping a prize in the first Scottish School Food Awards.

The awards aim to “celebrate and improve standards of wellbeing, sustainability and school meals” across the country.

Cullivoe was shortlisted in the ‘sustainable school of the year’ category alongside George Watson’s College in Edinburgh and St. Leonards School in St. Andrews.

Cullivoe headteacher Claire Lawson said she was “absolutely delighted” to win the award.

The nomination recognised how Cullivoe uses the food produced in its garden and polytunnel for snacks and meals.

The school cook and the local community are all involved, helping pupils on the island to learn sustainability skills.

The prize winners were announced at an event in Edinburgh on Thursday.

Lawson said on Friday morning that it was “lovely that the work that we do in our rural school in Cullivoe is recognised within Scotland”.

“We spoke to people last night, and what we do is what they would like to do – so having our outdoor rig, and our polytunnel and including what we grow within our snack and meals is the dream for them,” she told Shetland News.

The headteacher added that the community also helps out, “from watering and weeding, to planting and harvesting”.