Funding to feed the north-east’s hungry children during school holidays

Struggling families across the north-east will be given a helping hand with meals over the school holidays.

The Scottish Government has awarded more than £30,000 for meal provisions during school breaks in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Foodbank charity CFine was granted £26,000 to provide city school pupils with food and activities during the school holidays in the coming year.

Their funding will allow them to continue their work based at Northfield Academy, Seaton School, Riverbank School, and Tullos School.

It is part of a wider city council scheme, Food and Fun, which provides breakfast, healthy snacks and a hot lunch when school is closed, as well as games and activities throughout the day.

Aberdeen FC Community Trust, Sport Aberdeen, the Russell Anderson Foundation and community group Big Noise are also involved.

Meanwhile Cash for Kids has been awarded £100,000 to use Scotland-wide.

Around £5,000 of that was spent on families at Printfield and Fersands community projects, Seaton Community Church, and Garioch Community Centre in Inverurie over the Easter holidays.

CFine’s development work manager Dave Kilgour said the funding would be put to good use and encouraged families from beyond Northfield, Seaton, Riverbank and Tullos to take advantage of it.

He said: “The four schools we are working in are in priority areas of Aberdeen, with the high numbers of low income families and school meal provision.

“We also encourage children from deprived parts of the city to attend these schools during the holidays.”

This will be a second year of the full roll-out of Aberdeen City Council’s Food & Fun programme, after a trial at three schools in the summer of 2017.

It was expanded to provide a further 10,000 free meals over the summer, October and Easter breaks in the 2018/19 school year.

Aberdeen City Council Co-leader Jenny Laing, said the city was at the “forefront” of fighting food poverty during school holidays.

She added: “Food & Fun is a wonderful example of partnership working and the positive impact that can be made on the lives of young people.”

An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said the local authority supported any work to ensure young people were provided with healthy meals through the school holidays.

The Scottish Government handed out £340,000 in total to six charities involved in similar efforts across the country, which will help more than 46,500 children.