Thousands of children in Stoke-on-Trent to benefit from food vouchers during February half term

Thousands of children in Stoke-on-Trent to benefit from food vouchers during February half term

Thousands of families across Stoke-on-Trent who are entitled to free school meals, are set to be given supermarket vouchers for food during February half term. It’s part of the multi-million-pound package of funding and support worth £2.6million that is being distributed to families and individuals over the Winter by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The city council are working in partnership with Wonde once again to issue supermarket vouchers to support families on free school meals and families where children have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place over the school half term. Each family will get a £15 voucher per child.

This follows on from the Christmas holidays where food vouchers where provided to 15,400 children in the city.

Cllr Janine Bridges, cabinet member for the economy and education said: “We are delighted to be able to provide food vouchers again to support families as households continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“Families do not need to apply for a voucher if their child is at a school in the city – schools will issue the vouchers directly for children who are eligible to receive them. We would ask families to contact their school if they haven’t received a voucher by the start of half-term.

“We would also ask city families with a child in receipt of an EHCP who attends a school outside the city or are educated at home to check our website to see if they are eligible for a voucher, and if so they can also apply online via www.stoke.gov.uk/foodvouchers or calling 01782 234234.”

The scheme is funded by the Department of Work and Pensions in order to help families access food and essential supplies. The vouchers can be redeemed at supermarket such as; Aldi, Asda, Iceland, McColls, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose.

This comes as there are a variety of half term activities on across the city for children and families, many of which are free.

Meir and City Central libraries will be hosting exclusive theatrical performances of ‘Same, Same…But Different’ from the Sonia Sabri Theatre on Monday 21 February 2022.

A football festival is being held at Hanley Park on Thursday 24 February, 10am to 4pm. Visit www.facebook.com/hanley.park to find out more and book a space.

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery has lots on for the family, including the free Spitfire Gallery, where youngsters can be inspired to follow in Reginald J. Mitchell’s footsteps as the engineers and designers of the future. Titanic: Honour & Glory, a brand-new exhibition exploring the legacy of the world’s most famous ship and includes genuine artefacts from the Titanic and her sister ships and memorabilia from the 1997 James Cameron movie, is heading to the museum from Saturday 19 February until Sunday 1 May 2022. Tickets for under 16’s are free.

Cllr Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for leisure, culture and public health said: “Our fantastic museums, libraries and parks have lots on offer for children to enjoy during half term. It can sometimes be hard to entertain a family with young children, so these wonderful activities are perfect whatever the weather. Make sure you check out the museum and libraries’ websites for the latest updates and for more half term inspiration go to www.visitstoke.co.uk.”