The race to stop children starving over summer - schools to stay open and £50 vouchers for families
As schools break up for summer, thousands of families across Greater Manchester face an anxious battle to stay afloat. The looming holidays are a source of dread for households already holding back a tide of soaring bills and benefit cuts.
To ease the pressure on struggling families, Russell Scott Primary is running a summer sports camp for its pupils. And while free school meals - a lifeline for many hard-up families - come to an end when the school finishes next week, Tameside Council is providing a £50 supermarket voucher to eligible children to cover the holidays.
Analysts have warned that three quarters of families in the UK, or 21 million households, will see the cost-of-living outstrip their incomes by the autumn. Meanwhile, a report published last week revealed that Mancunians experienced a 'real wage' loss of £133 in April as pay packets fail to offset the rising cost of living.
"Children shouldn't have any worries but we have just lived through something unprecedented and here we are again with another crisis that is affecting whole communities, but also individual families really badly." "There are more parents asking for support but lots of parents are stigmatised by it and have probably never been in difficulty before so don't come forward. There's a pride element of wanting to look after your family.
"Locally, the council are doing a grand job putting opportunities and support in place, but so much falls on schools now that it is becoming difficult to manage without budget increases. However, we will continue to fight for our community and offer all we can."
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