A scheme to provide £40 supermarket vouchers over Christmas to families whose children are eligible for free school meals has seen 3,750 vouchers reaching families in need.

Bath & North East Somerset Council processed 2,439 applications with most vouchers issued in the three weeks before Christmas. The scheme closed on January 4th and any remaining vouchers were issued by January 11th.

The electronic vouchers could be spent in a range of supermarkets and were available to the families of pupils entitled to benefit-related free school meals, as well as parents who receive free childcare for two-year-olds, where benefits are such that they would have been entitled to free school meals.

The Government announced last week that a national voucher scheme will be in place so that all eligible children can access free school meals in term time while schools remain closed. During term time it is the responsibility of schools to ensure that provision is made for children who qualify for free school meals.

For February school holidays, the Council will be extending its voucher scheme. It is part of a wide range of community support for vulnerable families, including Food Clubs, Foodbanks, welfare and financial support.

Councillor Kevin Guy, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We are always working to ensure that parents are able to put food on the table, so I’m delighted that our voucher scheme made a difference to so many families at Christmas. We are planning on running a similar scheme in February and we are looking at how we can cover the Easter holidays, too.”

Councillor Rob Appleyard, cabinet member for Adult Services and Public Health said: “Making sure families in need received these essential vouchers quickly was a huge task and is testament to the dedication of the Council teams involved. Staff were pleased to receive a letter from Feeding Britain which told them how “awestruck we have been by the work you undertook with B&NES Food Poverty Steering Group against such a challenging backdrop this year”, which is a worthy acknowledgement of all their hard work. I’d also personally like to thank all the volunteers in B&NES who help with community food projects.”

The scheme is funded from the Government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme. There are currently more than 4,000 children in Bath and North East Somerset who receive benefit-related free school meals. 3SG and St John’s Foundation have already allocated £55,000 from a local fundraising appeal to community-led food projects serving communities of high-need across Bath and North East Somerset.

Local volunteers are also still collecting food donations for families in need locally who may not be eligible for help from the Foodbank or who cannot get to one quickly enough.

Sophie Warman, from Midsomer Norton, was featured in The Journal before Christmas for her good work and has been packing up parcels for those in need. Despite challenges of her own, the young mum of two has been dedicated to helping people locally. Sophie’s fundraising page can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sophie-louise-warman-king-321