'No child should go hungry when schools are closed'

Professor ANDY LONG, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, on the Government's recent announcement on how it will tackle “holiday hunger”

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> Professor Andy Long

As holidays approach, thousands of parents across the North East face a familiar worry: how will I feed my children without free school meals? The excitement of the school break is overshadowed by anxiety about stretching already tight budgets to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day.

The Government's recent announcement of three-year funding for Holiday Activities and Food programme - informed by research from Northumbria University - offers genuine relief for these families across our region. It acknowledges what campaigners like Marcus Rashford have long highlighted: that children shouldn't go hungry simply because schools have closed for the holidays.

‘The £600 million commitment over three years will fund programmes across all 152 local authorities in England, including all councils across the North East, providing free holiday activities and healthy meals for children eligible for free school meals. This means up to 600,000 disadvantaged children nationwide will have access to nutritious food and engaging activities during school holidays - from creative activities such as putting on a play, to physical activities such as football, swimming, or nature walks. For families in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and across our region, this represents thousands of local children who will benefit.