Free food parcels and activities for children in Coventry over Easter

FREE food parcels and activities will be available for disadvantaged children in Coventry over the Easter holidays thanks to a £1.5 million cash boost.

Funding from the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme was accepted by cabinet on March 9 before final approval at full council next week.

Cabinet member for education Cllr Kevin Maton said: “It is good to see there is a recognition of how important this is.

“It is still under-funded but it is something we are in a position - with a lot of partners within individual communities - to be able to deliver.”

The programme will provide food parcels for children who are eligible for free school meals, while they will also be offered the chance to join an Easter activity programme.

The activity programme will provide a week’s worth of provision to encourage children to be more active during the school holidays, taking part in online activities or activity packs which focus on resilience and well-being.

A registration process for parents and carers of eligible pupils will be required to access this, with the council stating further information will be released at a later date The programme is in addition to the free food vouchers of £15 per week per child, which have been provided by the government since the start of the pandemic with the exception of October half-term. The vouchers will also remain in place for the Easter holidays. Free school meal numbers in the city have risen significantly during that period, from 10,500 (19 per cent of the pupil population) at the start of the pandemic to an estimated 12,500 (22 per cent of the pupil population) in January this year.