The Trust and Torquay United FC footballers team up to launch healthy school lunch campaign

Footballers from Torquay United FC recently visited Barton Primary School to talk about the importance of school food and healthy eating with pupils, and to launch the 'School Dinners Make Winners' competition - pitting Torbay schools against one another in a football style healthy eating league. Torquay United FC stars were at the school with club chief executive and ex-Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC player, Colin Lee, and chairman of Torquay United FC, Simon Baker. The players joined children for a Q&A session, where they talked about the food that athletes eat, and show off a few football tricks. In the 'School Dinners Make Winners' competition, which will run for six weeks in January and February in schools across Torbay, children are encouraged to eat a healthy school lunch to score 'goals' for their school team. Each school lunch equals one goal and at the end of each week, children will be able to see how they have performed compared to neighbouring schools in league tables that will be posted in classrooms throughout the campaign. Participating schools will each get the chance to nominate a class for a stadium visit to Plainmoor. Torbay was chosen as the national launch area for the partnership as school lunch take up levels in the South West are among the lowest in England – at 29% in primary schools and 26.2% in secondary schools, compared to 39.3% and 35% respectively at national level. Judy Hargadon, chief executive of the School Food Trust, said: "We're delighted to be working with the Football League Trust and to be starting this work with Torquay United, whose links with the community will help us to encourage more children here to try school meals. These players are proof that if you want to perform well, you need to give your body the best fuel – the same is true for pupils at school."