Cash for Kids will use the funding to provide healthy food for children (PA)

Children from low-income families will have access to healthy food during the Christmas school holidays thanks to £100,000 from the Scottish Government.

The money is additional funding for the Cash for Kids charity to provide food and activities for more than 7,000 children from poorer backgrounds across Scotland.

No child should be going hungry but we know that costs can rise in the school holidays – particularly around Christmas. Aileen Campbell

Another £48,000 is being awarded by ministers to 12 smaller, community organisations for similar projects during the Christmas and February school holidays.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We provide free school meals to all pupils in P1-P3 and families on low incomes, but we know it can be a struggle for families to provide affordable healthy food as well as fun activities for children during school breaks.

“No child should be going hungry but we know that costs can rise in the school holidays – particularly around Christmas. This extra support will make a huge difference to children and their families across the country.”

Ahead of this year’s school summer holidays, Cash for Kids received £150,000 in Government funding to support children from low-income families, benefiting approximately 37,000 children during the seven-week break.

The additional £48,000 will go to groups including Dundee Bairns and Achieve More Scotland, which also carried out summer programmes in Dundee and Glasgow, as well as 10 organisations which currently receive funding through the Fair Food Transformation Fund to meet an expected rise in demand this Christmas.

PA