Northern Ireland

Businesses praised for offering free holiday meals for schoolchildren

Edge Coffee in Holywood has been praised by footballer Marcus Rashford for offering free food to children
Edge Coffee in Holywood has been praised by footballer Marcus Rashford for offering free food to children Edge Coffee in Holywood has been praised by footballer Marcus Rashford for offering free food to children

THOUSANDS of free meals are being provided to children by businesses and community groups over half term as the UK government is facing a damaging revolt on the issue.

Dozens of people from a range of organisations have stepped in to help plug the gap.

A petition from footballer Marcus Rashford, who has been spearheading demands for free school meals (FSM) to be extended over holidays, has passed 800,000 signatures, putting further pressure on the UK government to act.

Manchester United and England forward Rashford has been praising businesses in Northern Ireland for their efforts.

Read More: Marcus Rashford supports west Belfast cafe's free kids' meals

Several are handing out food and drink at no cost to children during the extended Halloween break – on top of FSM payments.

Unlike Britain, families in Northern Ireland are receiving direct payments in lieu of meals.

These are designed to make up for the loss of food that children would have received had schools been open this week and last.

Money is due to be paid into bank accounts this week.

Education Minister Peter Weir said the vital support would benefit families struggling financially.

“It is important that children who normally receive a free school meal can still have access to a nutritious meal without their family suffering further hardship during what is an already stressful and difficult time,” he said.

“This is a very worrying time for families particularly those with school age children and these payments will help to support them during this time when they would normally be in school.”

In addition to this, some businesses are offering more free food and are receiving social media backing from Rashford.

They include Loaf cafe in west Belfast and Edge Coffee in Holywood.

In a Facebook post, Edge said its offer was for “those in need, those who have slipped through the net of the free school meals, those that haven’t qualified but could do with a helping hand and anyone that will struggle with the additional cost of food during this time off”.

“You get a kids hot lunch to eat right away, soup [vegan] or Irish stew, a fruit pot, two pancakes to heat up at home, a jam, and a carton of juice. Completely free,” it said.

“That’s it. That simple. No questions asked. No kids should go hungry, and no parents should feel worried about the additional lunch costs while we are in lockdown.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Brandon Lewis has defended the government’s decision not to extend FSM in Britain.

While he praised Rashford for his “phenomenal” campaign, he insisted that providing help through councils was “the right way to do it”.