World Porridge Day

An invitation to...

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PORRIDGE BREAKFAST

Sunday 10th October 2010

Join in the second World Porridge Day to help feed needy children in some of the poorest countries across the globe.

The small Highland community of Carrbridge – organisers of the annual World Porridge Making Championship – has teamed up with the Scottish charity, Mary’s Meals to establish an international World Porridge Day.

Mary’s-Meals feeds over 300,000 children every day in Malawi alone. Photograph by Chris Leslie

You are invited to help celebrate this special day by joining porridge ambassadors across the world to help raise money for MARY’S MEALS (Registered Charity SCO22140).

The charity, which started from a tin shed in Argyllshire in the south west of Scotland, has one simple aim: To provide a daily meal in school for children who are growing up in poverty.

Mary’s Meals works in fifteen of the poorest countries in the world, providing daily school meals for 350,000 of the neediest children.

Each day, the youngsters are invited to their local school where they are given a mug of a healthy porridge mix fortified with vitamins and minerals. This provides them with the nutrition they need to grow, play and also learn with the aim that education will help them escape from a life of poverty.

It is a straightforward and cost effective idea - it costs just £6.15 (about €7 or $10) to feed a child for a year.

You can support this worthy cause by getting together with family, friends or maybe workmates and hosting your own World Porridge Breakfast. Just cook up a steaming pan of good hearty porridge and ask everyone to make a donation, however large or small, to help support Mary’s Meals. To hold an official World Porridge Breakfast, just register an event.

WWW.GOLDENSPURTLE.COM

The first ever World Porridge Day got off to a flying start with porridge fans across the world joining in the spirit of the event and organising their own World Porridge Breakfast and other oatmeal related events to raise money for Mary's Meals.

The official launch of this international celebration of Scotland's traditional national dish took place on Sunday 11th October in the Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge to coincide with the 16th annual World Porridge Making Championship.

Among those who helped get the World Porridge Day ball roling were TV presenter and cookery book writer, Nell Nelson and Miss Scotland - Dunblane model and tennis coach, Katharine Brown. This year's World Porridge Making Championship had a Burns theme to mark the 250th anniversary of the great Scottish poet's birth and the official Burns for Homecoming, Christopher Tait came along to join in the World Porridge Day celebrations.

Miss Scotland, who is passionate about all things Scottish, said she was delighted to give her support. "I'm  a great porridge fan and World Porridge Day is a great way of encouraging everyone to tuck into a bowl of porridge while at the same time raising money to help support Mary's Meals," she said.

Fund raising efforts on the day also received a welcome boost from Amecian Matthew Cox who won the World Porridge Making Champion title and the prestigious Goldfen Spurtle trophy. Part of his prize included £250 in cash which he has very kindly donated to Mary's Meals.

It is intended to establish World Porridge Day firmly in the international calendar with next year's date already set for 10th October 2010 (10/10/10).

Meanwhile,  there is news of further events still to come this year. This includes an up date from a small group of special children from a school near Philadelphia, New Jersey who are planning on setting up a porridge bar for the faculty and fellow pupils on 2nd November to raise money for Mary's Meals. We wish them good luck with their porridge-making.

Please keep us posted and either register on this website or send us an email with information of your event. Donations however large or small are also welcome which you either send direct to Mary's Meals or via the Just Giving World Porridge Day link.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED SO FAR.

Parents and friends joined the young pupils of Carrbridge Primary School for their charity fund raising World Porridge Breakfast in aid of Mary's Meals.

The event was among the first to be held in the countdown to the official launch of  the first-ever World Porridge Day - an international celebration of Scotland's traditional national dish - which is to be officially launched this Sunday (11 October) at the annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championships www.goldenspurtle.com.

It is intended to establish  World Porridge Day firmly in the global calendar with porridge fans across the globe invitied to join in the spirit of the event and host their own porridge breakfast or other oats related activity to raise money for Mary's Meals.

This Scottish-based charity started from a tin shed and now provides daily meals for 375,000 of some of the pooorest children in 15 countries. For many of these youngsters, the porridge mix they receive may well be the only meal they recieve in the day.

See photos in our gallery or at Carrbridge Films.