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.