Business
Sheffield breakfast club for parents helps with high cost of food
Lucy AshtonSouth Yorkshire political reporter
BBCDawn Hayes is cooking sausages and hash browns in the kitchen of Shirecliffe Community Centre in Sheffield.
She is helping out at an adult breakfast club where parents and grandparents who have children at the adjoining Meadows nursery can have a hot meal for £1.
“It stops a lot of people going home and being lonely and it makes sure single parents get a meal,” she says.
The club is unusual in catering for adults at a time when many families are struggling with the cost of food – and parents may go without full meals to ensure their children are fed.
Ms Hayes, 47, explains: “I originally started coming to the centre when I brought my daughter to the nursery. When we looked at what people wanted within the community, we decided to set up a breakfast club.
“As parents drop off their children, we decided they needed somewhere to go rather than just going straight home.”
She has been the cook since it began and says it was set up to provide both food and company.
“It stops a lot of people from going home and just being alone. There are a lot of single parents around here and as a single parent, you often don’t get time to eat for yourself as you get up, get the kids ready and give them breakfast.
“We’re a bit of a social activity but we also make sure parents are eating as well.”
Parents can have a breakfast butty, along with hot drinks and cereal. A nearby Tesco store donates tea and coffee but the club does not receive any grants. It relies on occasional community events for fundraising and on the £1 contributions.
Many schools and nurseries now operate breakfast clubs for pupils, often with sponsorship from the major supermarket chains and brands.
The government has also launched an “early adopter” scheme for 750 schools, which will be given funding to offer free breakfast clubs lasting 30 minutes.
Lina, 34, has three children. Her two eldest boys were born during the pandemic so she struggled to meet other parents when playgroups were closed.
“I was feeling so lonely with nobody to speak to, and trying to deal with my two little boys, but the breakfast club gave me chance to build my confidence and make friends.
“The hot meal is a bonus for everyone. When it’s Thursday, I know I’m going to have my coffee and breakfast and it’s like a treat.
“I don’t have the chance to go to cafes because of the cost and also because the kids will be crying, but I know all these people, they are my friends. We are not just a breakfast club, not even a community, we are a family now.”
Jane Clark, 61, is a grandmother now but also enjoys the club.
“I’ve got a lot of time on my hands now and I like having a chat with people, learning stuff from them and maybe them learning stuff from me,” she says, nursing a cup of tea.
“Being around children keeps you young. Happy kids, happy mums, happy grannies!”
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Pankaj Chaudhary confirmed 50.14 lakh central government employees and 69 lakh pensioners will benefit from the 8th Central Pay Commission.
8th Pay Commission Implementation
8th Pay Commission: Pankaj Chaudhary, minister of state in the Ministry of Finance, clarified that the total number of government employees currently stands at 50.14 lakh, and there are approximately 69 lakh pensioners, who will get the benefits from the 8th Pay Commission.
In a written reply to Lok Sabha dated December 8, 2025, the minister said “the number of central government employees is 50.14 lakh, and the number of pensioners is 69 lakh approximately.”
When asked the date of implementation of the 8th CPC, the Minister clarified that it will be decided by the government that the commission will make its recommendations within 18 months from the date of its constitution.
The minister was asked plans for allocation of funds for the 8th CPC in the 2026-27 budget, the MoS said it will make appropriate provision of funds for implementing the accepted recommendations of the 8th CPC. It will devise methodology and procedure for formulating its recommendations.
The finance ministry has stated that the 8th Central Pay Commission will submit its recommendations on key matters such as pay, allowances, pensions and other related issues. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary clarified the government’s position in response to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha from members Javed Ali Khan and Ramji Lal Suman, who had asked whether a revision of pensions for central government employees is being considered under the 8th CPC.
No Proposal To Merger DA, DR With Basic Pay
Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary had said earlier the central government has notified the constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission, and there is no proposal as of now to merge the existing dearness allowance (DA) or dearness relief (DR) with the basic pay.
“No proposal regarding merger of the existing dearness allowance with the basic pay is under consideration with the government at present. In order to adjust the cost of living and to protect basic pay/ pension from erosion in real value on account of inflation, the rates of DA/ DR are revised periodically every six months on the basis of the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) released by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment,” Chaudhary said in response to a query in the Lok Sabha.
He said the government has notified Resolution dated November 3, 2025, for the constitution of the Eighth Central Pay Commission. A copy of the Notification is enclosed at Annexure-1.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 09, 2025, 17:45 IST
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New Delhi: India’s initial public offerings (IPO) have raised a record Rs 1.77 lakh crore ($19.6 billion) in 2025 so far, marginally higher than the 2024 tally, as companies rush to capture increasing investor demand.
With five more offerings scheduled to close on or before December 16, including ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co.’s $1.2‑billion deal, the total value of IPO proceeds is set to rise much higher than last year’s proceeds.
In 2024, Indian IPOs raised Rs 1.73 lakh crore, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The surge reflects a maturing capital market driven by a swelling base of retail investors and steady institutional appetite, even as demand for equities in the secondary market softened.
Analysts said that firms are using buoyant demand to lock in funding before global conditions tighten, and India has eased the process for companies to list and initiated a run of big-ticket deals.
Foreign institutional investors remain active participants in IPOs despite selling a record number of Indian equities in the secondary market. FII enthusiasm in primary markets helped companies across sectors and market caps to raise capital at elevated valuations.
Almost half of the more than 300 firms listed so far this year are trading below their offer price when the scrips debuted.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Thursday, proposed key reforms to address long-standing challenges around locking in pre-IPO pledged shares and simplifying public issue disclosures.
SEBI has suggested enabling depositories to designate pledged shares as “non-transferable” for the lock-in period in response to directives from the issuer.
India’s financial markets are heading into 2026 with renewed confidence, with notable surges in recent months and a resilient macroeconomic environment. This sharp turnaround was fuelled by multiple domestic triggers, including the GST 2.0 rate rationalisation that accelerated consumption across discretionary categories, a surge in manufacturing activity reflected in a two-month high PMI of 58.4.
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