Jamie Oliver surprises Walsall teacher live as the winner of the 'This Morning Lifetime Achievement Award'
A Walsall teacher was given the surprise of her life when she was given a special award on live television by Jamie Oliver.
On This Morning on Thursday, Jamie Oliver surprised Colleen Green from Beacon Primary School in Willenhall, live on the show with the inaugural "This Morning Lifetime Achievement Award" as part of this year’s Jamie Oliver’s Good School Food Awards.
Ms Green was nominated for her dedication of nearly three decades to changing children’s lives at Beacon Primary School, having once been a pupil at the school, then beginning her career as a school dinner lady in 1999 and now working as the Assistant Headteacher.
Speaking about the awards, Jamie Oliver said: “I couldn’t have done it without you and thank you to the show.
“We reached out to your viewers to nominate people who do exceptional things in schools, school food educators, headteachers, people doing sports and nutrition, and of course, the cook.”
Jamie spoke about the This Morning Lifetime Achievement Award winner and praised her for the work she had done.
He said: “This is someone who has just done a great job for one or two years, this is an amazing woman that not only went to this school as a child but has done decades working there.
“She has had job progression and always used food to teach the syllabus, science, history, geography, so she just knows.
“She’s not just feeding them in the tummy, she’s feeding them in the mind.”
Ben Shepherd and Cat Deeley then sent Jamie off the sofa to go and surprise an unsuspecting Colleen Green, who was waiting just outside the studio.
In the clip, she is seen becoming instantly emotional as Jamie sat in front of her and told her she won the award, with a response of "Oh my god, oh dear me!”
Jamie Oliver said to her: “Everyone, your school, the parents, all your colleagues, we’re so proud of you.
"What you’re doing is amazing, inspiring the next generation through food."
Jamie and Colleen Green then entered the studio to join Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley on the sofa when Cat asked how it felt to be recognised for her career, to which she responded: “Surreal.”
Talking about the importance of teaching children in schools about food and nutrition, Ms Green said: “I think it’s a life skill. If they can feed themselves, the world’s their oyster.
"They can travel the world with their taste buds.”
Also joining the sofa was Beacon Primary School’s headteacher, Claire Chandler, who described Colleen as ‘amazing’: “If I could choose to work with anybody, I’d always choose to work with Colleen.”
