Canterbury Schools Win Big Muffin Break

Two Canterbury primary schools have won the chance to kick start their fundraising for 2012 thanks to the Muffin Break Great Bake Sale.

Gilberthorpe School in Hei Hei is the lucky South Island winner of the Great Bake Sale – winning 500 Muffin Break muffins to sell and raise funds, and St Patrick’s School in Kaiapoi came in second place winning 200 muffins for its own fundraising bake sale.

Gilberthorpe School received 215 votes, while St Patrick’s School received 68 votes in total.

Students at schools around the country were invited to enter their school into the Great Bake Sale through Muffin Break’s Facebook page to win the ultimate bake sale.

Schools, teachers, students, parents and friends all rallied to get votes for their school and make it to the top of the National Leader Board in the five week long competition.

Muffin Break General Manager Garry Croft says the Bake Sale was a great way for schools in the Canterbury region to create some positivity and enthusiasm as they began their annual fundraising campaigns.

“As a company we’ve been really saddened by  the devastation caused by the Christchurch earthquakes, so we are thrilled to see Canterbury schools getting behind the Bake Sale and taking out the South Island prizes,” he says.

Gilberthorpe School Chairperson, Penny Osborne, says the win is absolutely amazing.

“We are only a small school and for us to win this and get ourselves noticed in the community ahead of some bigger schools is fantastic,” says Osborne.

St Patrick's School Kaiapoi’s Principal Therese Coleman is also delighted by their win.

“This is HUGE for us! With a drop in roll due to the earthquakes our Ministry funding has dropped also, so any fundraising we can do to help purchase resources for the children is welcomed,” says Coleman.

Throughout the competition Muffin Break’s Facebook page allowed people to spread the word to their friends and family, as well as providing a running leader board that showed schools exactly how they were performing against their competition.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/muffinbreaknz.