Community champion thrilled by surprise donation for monthly breakfast club

A community champion says she’s delighted after a generous donation which will help support a breakfast club in a Staffordshire Moorlands village.

Sara Biddulph runs the monthly community breakfast club at Endon Village Hall, and has also been working to renovate the hall to encourage more people to use it.

She says the donation from Retail Knows Why bosses Rob and Su Sutton left her speechless and has restored her faith in people.

The equipment donated includes cutlery and crockery, kitchen storage items, an air fryer, kitchen utensils and accessories to help with cleaning.

It will be used for food storage and preparation at the monthly breakfast clubs and improve the facilities currently on offer.

Mrs Biddulph, who’s originally from Leek but has lived in Endon for over a decade, explained she is keen to do what she can to bring the community together.

She said: “I just love the village, and just wanted to be part of a community.

“This last few years we’ve started to be more and more involved, and this last year, we managed to become involved with the village hall.”

She initially started out helping with the Little Learners playgroup, but said she saw the building was in need to some tlc and decided to do something about it.

She said: “It was so unloved, not through anybody’s fault – there’s been lockdown, people couldn’t come in and use it, so obviously it had got a bit neglected.

“It’s such a wonderful building that just needed love. It can be the heart of the village and bring the community together.”

It was then that she set about painting and decorating, with her husband James as well as friends and family.

They now organise a free-of-charge community breakfast once a month where all are welcome.

Mrs Biddulph said: “Anybody can come. There are some wonderful groups that use the hall, but we need groups where every age group comes together.

“The young learn from the old – the older generation have got some fabulous stories.”

“It’s the hub of the community, and we just want the community to have a safe space and somewhere warm to come where they can meet other people.”

She was encouraged by a supporter to write a list of items that would help with the breakfast club, along with a note explaining what it was all about, to encourage donations from local companies.

When Rob and Su Sutton heard about the breakfast club, they were keen to help. They live locally, and have done so all their lives, and are keen to assist good causes in the area.

Mrs Biddulph said despite having written the list, she didn’t expect anything to come from it and it came as a complete surprise when the donation arrived.

Her husband and friends knew it was coming, but wanted to keep it a secret – so they had to stop her from buying things which she wanted for the breakfast club.

She said: “It’s amazing, I cannot thank them enough. It’s just absolutely amazing. It’s restored my faith that there are still wonderful human beings out there.

“I cried. I just couldn’t believe it. I was in absolute shock. I was in awe that somebody was so kind.”

The equipment will be used to help with running the breakfast club as well as other community events – such as Christmas gatherings.

Mrs Biddulph says her aim is to beat isolation and loneliness, and bring people together – particularly for those who most need it.