Glenbervie pupils’ Jubilee Cafe wows locals

By Calum Petrie

June 3 2022, 6:00 am

Glenbervie Primary School celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in style with a pupil-run Jubilee Cafe for the local community.

Glenbervie Primary School hosted locals at a special Jubilee cafe to celebrate the Platinum celebration.

Pupils from P1 and P2 held a ‘Jubilee Cafe’ to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in style.

Held on school grounds, attendees enjoyed a jubilee-themed social gathering with cakes and a cuppa.

Among an excellent turnout was Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire Alastair Macphie – who praised the initiative.

The event was part of the school’s social enterprise and all aspects of the event were carefully planned and set up by the pupils themselves.

It allowed members of the community to come into the school and meet with friends in a welcoming and affordable environment.

Pupil-run Jubilee Cafe rewarded with ‘excellent turnout’

At the same time, it provided pupils with valuable skills which will prepare them for the world of work. This includes planning, advertising, communication skills, handling money, serving customers and baking.

The Jubilee Cafe was carefully planned and set up by the pupils themselves. They were rewarded with an excellent turnout.

The Aberdeenshire school has been running a successful community café as part of its involvement with the Social Enterprise Academy since 2019.

Previous profits have been donated to Stoney Cares, which provides Christmas lunch for people in Stonehaven who might be on their own.

More recently, profits have been put back into the community café pot to sustain the community’s social wellbeing, and reduce isolation in the village.

Encouraging kids to ‘believe they can make a difference to their communities’

Jenny Glennie is head teacher of Glenbervie School. “It’s been amazing to see the creativity of all the pupils involved in the community café,” she said.

“When Covid hit, they simply adapted and came up with a new solution to bring their café to the community.

“Getting a flavour of what it’s like running a business at an early age makes them both driven and proud of their work.

“A fundamental component of education is encouraging young people to believe that they can make a difference in their communities.”

And Neil McLean, CEO of the Social Enterprise Academy, said: “Glenbervie is an excellent example of how the ingenuity and dedication of pupils can make a successful social enterprise run for years.

“They managed to keep going even during the pandemic, which is a true testament to their hard work and creativity.

“Being able to inspire and guide others to make a difference is essential to our work.

“We know real and sustained positive change requires everyone to get involved. Young people are not only the future – they are changing the world today.”