Christmas crisis for North West children

More than 147,000 under-10s from low-income families in the region – and almost a million across the UK - face a festive season with little to celebrate, lacking domestic essentials such as a heated home, warm winter coat and fresh food.

With so many families struggling following a decade of austerity and ongoing problems with universal credit, new research from the Action for Children charity also shows parents below the breadline are able to spend on average just £2 a day per child on food - and struggle to afford nutritious food vital for health and development.

With no free school meals available during the school holidays, this leaves many worse-off families struggling to afford their children’s lunch. With a typical primary school meal in the UK costing £2.30 a day, it means that some parents can barely afford lunch, let alone breakfast and dinner.

Action for Children, which is urging people to support its Secret Santa campaign, says that at least 50 of its services across the country have provided foodbank support over the past year and with demand so high, the charity is planning to host unofficial foodbanks again over the Christmas and new year season.

John Egan, director for England at Action for Children, said: “No parent in the North West should have to face the awful prospect of their youngster sitting in the cold without a plate of food to eat at the end of a school day, or skip dinner themselves so their child has a meal.

“Politicians are telling us austerity has ended but every day at Action for Children our frontline services say child poverty levels are at the worst they can remember.

“While some families will spend the Christmas holidays putting their children to bed early to keep warm because they can’t afford to heat the house, for others it has become the norm to not have a winter coat, rely on foodbanks, or for their children to miss out on hot meals.

“The new Government must deliver ambitious policies to end child poverty and bring in a National Childhood Strategy to give all our children a safe and happy childhood.

“But until every family has enough money to keep their child warm and well fed, we will continue to help them.

“That’s why we are asking the public to get behind our Secret Santa campaign to help us support our most vulnerable children, not just at Christmas but every day.”

Become a Secret Santa to support vulnerable children by texting CHILD to 70607 to donate £10 or by visiting iamsanta.org.uk