ON this day in 2025, Denbighshire County Council's catering service was celebrated as the 'Best Performing Catering Service' at the prestigious APSE Awards.
The council's catering services were nominated along with five other local authorities for this notable distinction.
The Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE), a benchmarking agency that collaborates with over 200 councils across the UK, assessed the submissions from the participating councils.
Each year, Denbighshire's catering service submitted benchmarking data for evaluation, which was scrutinised against other entries throughout the country.
The data submitted included crucial information covering paid and free meal uptakes, staff training, service performance, and overall service management.
As a result of this assessment, Denbighshire's catering service not only earned the title of 'Best Performing Catering Service' but was also nominated as the 'Most Improved Performer' in catering services.
At the time, Councillor Diane King, lead member for education, children, and families, expressed her delight at the achievement, saying: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the catering services for achieving this great award."
She further noted: "This award is a true reflection of the hard work that goes in on a day-to-day basis to provide children across the county with healthy, nutritious meals."
Councillor King emphasised the importance of school meal provision in children’s learning and development, adding: "The provision of school meals is essential in a child’s learning and development, and the catering team continue to work with local suppliers to provide a hot nutritionally balanced meal at lunchtime."
She also highlighted that Denbighshire County Council remained committed to promoting healthy eating, stating: "Denbighshire County Council are committed to healthy eating and are working hard with schools to promote the health and welfare of pupils."
For those interested in exploring the school meals menu or obtaining more information regarding the catering service, they were encouraged to visit the Denbighshire school meals website.
This article was originally published in Rhyl Journal on February, 4, 2025.
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