Amoolia the Cool Milk cow joined hundreds of pupils and staff for a special assembly at a Walsall primary school to mark the 16th annual World School Milk Day.
The visit to Leamore Primary School was organised by Cool Milk, the UK’s largest provider of milk to schools and nursery settings. Amoolia attended a special assembly about why drinking milk is good for you. Children learned all about the where milk comes from, how it arrives at their school and the health benefits that the natural mid-morning drink offers.
Cool Milk provided free milk to all pupils, as well as exciting interactive teaching packs, including colourful World School Milk Day bunting, lapel stickers, balloons and work books packed full of fun activities. World School Milk Day is a global event promoting the importance of drinking milk at school and involves children and schools in over 30 countries around the world.
Cool Milk ambassador and ITV’s Good Morning Britain celebrity GP Doctor Hilary Jones is a big fan of milk and World School Milk Day. He says: “I’m passionate about reinforcing the message that we have to fuel children properly before school and during the school day to get the best out of them. Milk is a true ‘super’ food. Served mid-morning, milk boosts children’s concentration and energy levels, which are key to their performance in school.
“It’s fantastic to see so many children taking part in this year’s celebrations. It’s a really fun way of getting over some very important messages about where milk comes from, as well as why it’s so good for the development of healthy bones and teeth.”
Mrs Michelle Hill, Interim Head Teacher at Leamore Primary School adds: “The children’s excitement and enthusiasm for World School Milk Day has been building and today’s visit by Amoolia has really topped it all off.
“The whole school really embraced the day, with children and staff invited to dress up in cow onesies, cow masks and other cow-related costumes. Plus we ran a papier-mâché cow decorating competition called ‘The Big Moo’ for all 230 children and staff. It really has been a fantastic day, as well as highly educational.
“It’s also great to be part of a global celebration, with children all over the world enjoying their school milk. Everyone at Leamore Primary School wants to say a big thanks to Cool Milk for organising today’s activities and to Amoolia for being such a wonderful guest.”
John Sedgwick, Managing Director, Cool Milk, says: “We’ve got extraordinary numbers of children helping with this year’s celebrations here in England. And they are part of a global community that is today marking the health benefits of school milk programmes.
“It’s really important that children and their parents understand the important part milk plays in a healthy, balanced diet. At Cool Milk we are committed passionately to giving children the best possible start in life and by supporting World School Milk Day we aim to inform them about the health benefits of milk in a fun and entertaining way.”
The Department for Education new School Food Standards and School Food Plan states that low fat milk must be available for drinking at least once a day during school hours. The School Food Plan encourages children to develop healthy eating habits by ensuring they get the energy and nutrition needed for a whole school day.
World School Milk Day was established in 2000 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and is now recognised in over 30 countries. Its aim is to promote the importance of drinking milk at school to children, in a fun, memorable and educational way.