Page 23 - Herald August 2024

AUGUST 2024
BE A HERO – FEED A CHILD
COMBAT SCHOOL HOLIDAY HUNGER
FareShare Midlands, the region’s largest food redistribution charity, is launching its “Be A Hero – Feed A Child” campaign to beat child hunger during the school summer holidays. The charity aims to raise £50,000 to provide an additional 200,000 meals to vulnerable children and families across the Midlands.
With 1 million children living in poverty in the Midlands and food insecurity doubling since the pandemic, many families who rely on school meals face significant challenges during school closures. In some areas across the Midlands over 50% of children could go without food this summer without support from FareShare Midlands and its members. A survey last year revealed that 1 in 4 teachers bring food to school to support hungry children, while over a third of schools provide food support to children and their families. Local charities and community groups are struggling to meet the increased demand from families facing food insecurity. At St Johns Methodist Church, the ‘Make Lunch’ team provides weekly food parcels to local families in need.
Yvonne Gough, Make Lunch Manager, said: “It’s just a lifeline for [the parents] because they’re really struggling in the school holidays. Some of our families have several children. It’s hard for them to keep them fed.”
Simone Connolly, Chief Executive at FareShare Midlands, said “I cannot emphasise enough the impact the cost of living crisis has on families, particularly during the long summer holidays. We urgently need donations to help FareShare
Midlands prevent more children than ever from going hungry, and returning to school disadvantaged from being undernourished”.
FareShare Midlands redistributes surplus food from the food industry and delivers it to frontline charities and community groups across the Midlands. By supporting the ‘Be A Hero – Feed A Child’ campaign, donors can help create a safety net for struggling families and make this summer brighter for children in need across the Midlands. A donation of just £12.63 will provide a child with nutritious meals for a week.
Donate to help feed school children this summer: https://www. faresharemidlands.org.uk/ summer-fundraising-campaign
A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR
FOSSE MEADOWS
Future investment to improve and conserve biodiversity at popular nature area Fosse Meadows has been secured through a lease arrangement with Green Circle Nature Regeneration; a not-for- profit organisation.
Blaby District Councillors agreed to the lease arrangements at the recent Full Council meeting through which Green
THE NEW COUNTESTHORPE HERALD 23
Circle will take over the management of Fosse Meadows for the next two decades. The organisation is a Community Interest Company, which exists to benefit the community not private stakeholders. Its remit is to conserve and improve the natural environment while maintaining and broadening public access.
It has already been working with the Council on an informal basis for the last 18 months, looking at ways to enhance biodiversity at Fosse Meadows and make it financially sustainable.
Green Circle have used the Community Payback scheme to provide extra hands-on work at the reserve maintaining and improving the site at no additional cost to the Council.
Designated nature zones have been created, leaving areas untouched and protected. This has meant more wildflowers providing a habitat boost for bugs and a feeding bonanza for birds whilst encouraging footfall in a well- managed manner.
By taking on the lease and being more formally involved Green Circle can not only extend such initiatives but also tap into external funding streams which would not be available to the Council.
HERALD COPY DATES 2024/2025
Issue Copy date Layout Publish Committee
14 Aug
353 19 Sep 26-27 Sep 4 Oct 16 Oct
354 14 Nov 21-22 Nov 29 Nov 11 Dec
355 16 Jan 23-24 Jan 1 Feb 12 Feb
356 13 Mar 20-21 Mar 28 Mar 9 Apr
357 15 May 22-23 May 30 May 11 June
358 17 July 24-25 July 1 Aug 13 Aug
359 18 Sept 25-26 Sept 3 Oct 15 Oct
360 13 Nov 20-21 Nov 28 Nov 10 Dec
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