News that poorer children will receive free meals during the upcoming summer holidays has been hailed by the leader of a Mansfield-based support scheme.
Janet Spencer, who coordinates the 'School's Out For Summer' project in Mansfield, described the government's U-turn on the issue as "fantastic news" for struggling children in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes following a heartfelt plea by Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford, who called on the Government to reverse its decision not to provide food vouchers during the upcoming school holidays.
In an open letter to MPs, Mr Rashford drew from his own experiences of growing up in poverty and having to use food banks.
He said more than one million children could face going hungry if the decision was not reversed, suggesting "this should not be happening in 2020".
Boris Johnson had initially rejected the footballer's plea to extend its voucher scheme.
However, he made a U-turn on Tuesday, June 16, and announced the £120 million 'Covid summer food fund'.
The fund will extend the current system of supermarket vouchers, which are given to parents of poor children who can't attend school due to the virus, for six weeks over the summer break.
Ms Spencer, whose charity work supports these exact families, welcomed the reversal but warned more families could be "left struggling" due to the pandemic.
"It's fantastic news for these families because it will guarantee them getting food during the five-to-six week summer holiday", she told Nottinghamshire Live.
"Receiving this voucher is a lifeline for the families that can't afford to feed their children or put meals on the table.
"But what we have got to remember is that there is a new kind of poor children - those from families affected by coronavirus.
"There are more and more families struggling because parents have either been furloughed or lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.
"It's a real struggle for single-income households who have lost 20 percent or all of their wages.
"My concern is that these families, who don't normally get access to the voucher scheme, will become even more affected as the months go on, or if there is a second wave of coronavirus.
"But what Marcus Rashford has done is a massive achievement, it's a real step forward, and we have already emailed him."
The 'School's Out' scheme was set up in Mansfield in 2019 to support children from low-income backgrounds whose parents barely manage to make ends meet.
Throughout 2019's summer, the project offered food parcels to families across the town to ensure children who rely on free school meals did not go hungry when schools closed for summer.
Announcing the new fund on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said: "Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Prime Minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer.
"To reflect this, we will be providing a Covid summer food fund.
"This will provide food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period.
"Full details will be set out shortly, but this is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the pandemic.
"The scheme will not continue beyond the summer, and those eligible will be those who already qualify for free school meals."
