Cramlington Town Council has welcomed the turnaround by the Government to fund holiday period free school meals.

During the recent school holiday no funding for food vouchers was offered nationally or from Northumberland County Council so Cramlington Town Council stepped in with a rapid response plan, resulting in over 200 vouchers being issued.

Town Mayor Loraine De Simone explains: “We did not want any child in our town being a victim of ‘holiday hunger’. We formulated a scheme where children who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) would benefit from a £20 voucher. On the first day of our scheme going live we received over 100 applications.

All of our councillors endorsed this action – together as a council we decided we had to offer support because, to be frank, there was none from anywhere else.

I also want to thank members of the local community who backed our FSM scheme – this is yet another example of the great community spirit we have in our town where the residents genuinely care for their neighbours.”

The government is offering a “winter grant scheme” which will run from December until the end of March.

A £170m ring-fenced fund will be distributed with at least 80% earmarked for help with food and bills.