Parents of children eligible for free school meals are being reminded to contact their schools if they haven’t yet received food vouchers to use over the summer.

Cornwall Council is funding the programme through the COVID Local Support Grant.

More than 15,000 children and young people in Cornwall currently access free school meals.

Schools have been provided with funding of up to £15 per week per eligible child to support their local families.

Cornwall Council Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Barbara Ellenbroek, said: “As schools break up next week, we want to remind families that support with food is available over the summer holidays through their schools via a voucher scheme which you can use in your local supermarket.

“It is vital to children’s wellbeing that they can continue having access to healthy and nutritious meals over the summer.”

The COVID Local Support Grant, which is worth £1.7 million, has been given to the Council from the Department for Work and Pensions to support households across Cornwall.?

For more information on the scheme or to register for free school meals please visit: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/school-meals/?

Since 2018 Cornwall Council has run a programme called filling the holiday gap, which provided small grants to community groups and volunteer organisations to provide activities and food for vulnerable young people. During the pandemic the scheme was used to provide vouchers to those that missed the deadline for the government vouchers.

This summer Cornwall Council and Active Cornwall have joined forces to deliver nutritious food alongside sport and physical activity, as part of the Time2Move Holiday Programme.

The Department for Education-funded programme is open to all children and young people aged five to 16 and aims to tackle the triple inequality of poor diet, physical inactivity and social isolation.

For more information contact Active Cornwall: T2M Holiday Programme - Active Cornwall