A mum has won a battle to get vegan lunches served up at her daughter's school.

Lois Chepner, 5, has become one of the first schoolchildren in Bury to receive vegan school meals.

Her mum, Laura Chepner, launched a campaign to get vegan food on the school menu after Lois started at Hazlehurst Primary in Ramsbottom in September.

Laura, 35, said she was disappointed on her daughter's first day that Hazlehurst didn't provide vegan school dinners.

The vegan mum was told because her daughter's dietary requirements were a 'lifestyle choice', and not down to religion or allergy, Lois would not be entitled to a free school meal.

Rather than sending Lois to school with a vegan packed lunch, Laura sought the help of her local councillor.

Laura, the former owner of Lolo's Vegan Restaurant in Ramsbottom, did her own research too, and found that veganism as a belief is supported by the Human Rights Act 2010.

"I told the council it had spoiled my daughter's first day at school and how excluded we felt for being compassionate," said Lois.

"I'm a teacher myself and I started my training at the same as the Every Child Matters programme was launched.

"I remember going into teaching thinking every child matters, yet fast-forward to this year and I was being told my child didn't matter."

Under the universal free school meal system, every child in reception, Year 1 and year 2 in England and Wales is entitled to a free hot lunch.

This is regardless of their household income and has been the case since 2014.

Laura was concerned Lois would feel excluded by not being able to have a hot dinner with the other children at school.

She said the school's headteacher, chef and Bury Council responded almost straight away, and set to work creating a vegan-friendly menu for Lois with Laura's help.

After adding a vegan option to the school lunch menu, Lois now joins the hot dinner queue with her classmates at lunchtime.

Laura said: "Fortunately Bury Council are quite forward-thinking and were open to the idea of 'veganising' the menu.

"The headteacher was supportive from the start. I worked with them to show how we bring vegan food into their menu.

"Lois is thrilled because she can now sit with her peers eating her vegan lunch.

"It's not just a personal victory for us but for vegans in general. Hopefully it will have a ripple effect across other schools in the borough."

Samosas, a hummus wrap, pizza with vegan cheese and 'fish-less' fingers are some of the foods on Hazlehurst's new menu.

(Image: Google)

A spokesman for Bury Council said: "Our aim is to provide children with high quality, healthy and affordable food choices. We know that fresh and tasty food is fundamental to young people’s health and academic achievement.

“All of our schools offer a meat-based dish and a non-meat alternative each day. Schools also, at the request of parents, offer meals to pupils which meet special dietary or cultural requirements.

“Veganism is becoming more popular, and as such we have been running a trial project for the last nine months with two primary schools – Guardian Angels and Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary – offering a vegan choice to pupils whose parents request it. We are also now providing vegan meals to particular children at Hazelhurst and our Lady of Lourdes.

“So far the choice has been limited as these meals have had to be bought in. However, all of our schools will shortly have their own kitchens where meals are produced from scratch on the premises.

“All our meals are fully compliant with government food standards advice. We also pride ourselves in sourcing ingredients of the highest quality, buying British and local food wherever possible which helps support Bury’s local businesses and economy. Our meals already incorporate organic produce and we are widening our range of such ingredients to gain “Food for Life” accreditation.

“In Bury we say ‘every child matters’, and we will continue to offer a wide range of tasty and nutritious meals that children and their parents are pleased with.”

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