Government 'must end school holiday hunger for poorest kids'

School holidays are meant to be fun-filled and never quite long enough. But, unbelievably in 21st-century Britain, some youngsters from poorer families dread the time off because it means they won’t have enough to eat.

The situation is so dire that a group of 30 organisations including charities, businesses and academics have called on politicians to end so-called ‘holiday hunger’ in the UK.

Across the country, 1.7 million children are eligible for free school meals during term time, ensuring they get a hot and nutritious lunch five days a week.

But in holiday time the safety net is removed and the poorest families are left trying to stretch their budget to cover the extra food.

The organisations, including FareShare, which supports school breakfast clubs, and Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming, wrote to Westminster and Holyrood demanding they publicly sign up to end holiday hunger.

At the same time, they congratulated the Welsh government, which in January pledged £500,000 for Lunch and Fun clubs in areas of need over the holidays.

“A wide-ranging group of organisations and individuals are increasingly concerned about the number of children struggling to eat enough or going hungry during the school holidays,” said Kath Dalmeny, chief executive of Sustain.

“Throughout these periods, parents have the challenges of managing increased childcare demands, heavier domestic bills and the cost of providing extra meals.

Children living in these circumstances often experience multiple difficulties

“Children living in these circumstances often experience multiple difficulties including hunger, poor-quality food, social isolation, learning loss and family tension.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, added that additional support is urgently needed “so that holidays are not a time of hunger”.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger has stated that “a national programme backed by £200m could all but eliminate child hunger during the school holidays” in England.