Herts County Council's support for Hertfordshire families entitled to free school meals during the Christmas holidays saw supermarket vouchers downloaded for more than 20,000 children and young people.

The scheme, which is funded from the government's Covid Winter Grant Scheme (WSG), provided eligible families with a £30 digital supermarket voucher per entitled child, to cover the two week Christmas holiday period.

The council also encouraged families and individuals who were struggling to pay for food and other essential household bills to contact HertsHelp, where they could access further help over the festive period and advice to provide ongoing support.

A spokesperson said: "While 85 per cent of families have downloaded their vouchers, a smaller number have yet to validate theirs, we'd like to make sure as many children and young people as possible have access to this additional funding for food.

"The last day to download vouchers is February 11, after this point the Christmas holiday scheme will close.

"You will not need to spend the vouchers by then, most supermarket providers allow at least 12 months before expiry, so please do make sure you download yours as soon as possible."

Plans are now underway to roll out the voucher scheme, or similar, again during February half-term, with eligible families contacted directly by their schools and colleges in the coming weeks.

The council are also developing a Holiday Activity and Food Programme for children in partnership with Herts Sports Partnership and Hertfordshire Community Foundation which will ensure children across the county have access to enriching activities and healthy food across the Easter, Summer and Winter holidays.

Terry Douris, executive member for education, libraries and localism, said: "We're delighted that so many families engaged with the scheme and made use of the supermarket vouchers over the festive season, we hope it took some pressure off parents and carers at this difficult time.

"We still want to ensure that every child who was entitled to a free school meal over the Christmas holidays can access that support, and so I'd encourage those remaining families who have yet to download their vouchers, to please do so before the deadline.

"There is help on hand if you're not familiar with the online process or need the information in an alternative format."

For more information about how to download vouchers click here

You can also contact your school or college directly and they will help you to download or print your vouchers.

Whether you are a family or living alone, if you are worried about putting food on the table or paying the bills right now, HertsHelp may be able to provide advice and practical support.

Call 0300 123 4044, email [email protected] or click here

To find out if you are entitled clickhere