More than 130 parents queued from 3am outside a Welsh primary school this morning to ensure their children secured a place at a sought after breakfast club.
Waiting patiently with camping chairs and flasks, determined parents lined the curb outside Ysgol Y Berllan Deg in Cardiff for the annual breakfast club sign-up, which is operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The breakfast club is part of a government scheme aimed at providing primary school children with the opportunity of receiving a free breakfast each day, but there are limited spaces.
And for many desperate parents with a long commute, the before-school club is vital, because it allows them to drop their children off early at school and get to work on time.
Grandmother Annett Farrow, from Carmarthen, who was at the front of the queue, said: “We have been on the road since 1am and got here at 3am.
”My son and daughter-in-law are on holiday so we had to come. If it gets them a place it will have been worth it. We have bought biscuits and crisps - the only problem is the toilets.
“We have been using the toilets in the hotel opposite.“
Leanne Taylor, who arrived at the school at 3am, said there is no other option for her if she wants to maintain her career.
She said: "For some it is essential. I work opposite Tredegar House and I drive in. If I drop them off at 8.30 I won't be getting into work until 10 because of the traffic.
"If I didn't have this I would not be able to go to work. I can't risk not getting a place, I don't have a plan B."
The mother-of-two added: “It is a really good school and I don't think there is a fairer way to do it.”
Parents hand in a form for the registration and the school notes down their queue position, she said.
Ms Taylor said: ”The ones that are here first are the ones that need it most. It gets longer and earlier because the people who did not get a place last year will get here earlier this year."
Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ”I don't know how a single parent would be able to do it as they would have to bring their children with them.”
It was the biggest queue they had seen, the parent said. “In previous years, people have bought multiple forms for friends and that has been banned because it wasn't fair on the people who queued up.”
Julie Ayre, who works in Somerset, said: “My child will be in year six so this is the last year I have to do this, thank goodness.
“Last year I was 125th and I didn't get a place but I went on the waiting list and got one.
“If I didn't get it I would have to pay for a childminder.”
