'If it's sunny, we're in the park ... it's a nice environment'

As ministers are attacked over their child poverty strategy, Robyn Vinter visits one of the country's most deprived communities, Manningham in Bradford

- Robyn Vinter

While some British children will be going on holiday, playing with high-end games consoles or spending a week at a holiday club, for many children the Easter break is somewhat different.

Manningham in Bradford has the second highest rate of child poverty in the UK, with nearly three-quarters, 72%, of children living below the poverty line, according to the latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions, released earlier this month. This compares with a national average of 22%.

Zayn, Mahmood and Abdi, 13-year-olds who go to the same school, were hanging out on a Manningham housing estate after playing football. They said their parents were glad to have them out of the house on a nice day.

"We just go to the park sometimes, it's sunny weather so we like to get out," said Zayn.

Renting is more common here than owning a home and households are the most overcrowded in the city, with 17% of households being overcrowded, compared with 5.5% across Bradford as a whole.

For fun, they said, they mainly liked playing sports such as football and badminton, and also "eating", Abdi said with a grin, "mostly fast food" something there is a glut of in this part of town.