One in every four children across Lancashire are living in poverty, so a campaign is aiming to shed light on the growing number of parents starving themselves to feed their children.

The energy comparison service, Love Energy Savings, is teaming up with Lancashire brands to help feed families across the county and Greater Manchester.

Shocking statistics show that 18 per cent of children in low-income families in Lancashire are from Blackburn with Darwen. The area with the second highest number is Pendle.

Greater Manchester is one of the ten constituencies in the UK where 50 per cent of children are living in poverty, with those in Bolton West being some of the hardest hit.

Therefore, local businesses Lancashire Crisps, Robinsons, Dewlay dairies and charity Bolton Lads and Girls Club have stepped in to help and provide free school meals to children.

As independent British think tank, the Resolution Foundation estimates that 500,000 children will be left in poverty between 2022-23, Love Energy Savings is on a moral mission to feed children in need during the summer holidays – starting with Bolton.

When discussing his recent appearance on the Regenerating Bolton’s Economy panel, alongside fellow pillars of the community, Phil Foster, CEO of Love Energy Savings put forward his ambitions for the future of the town.

He said: “Children can't concentrate when they're starving and learning to skip meals is not one of the life lessons we need to be teaching them.

"When the cost of living is so high that increasing numbers of parents aren't able to provide the basics for their families, despite doing their absolute best, as brands, that's when we all have to sit up, take notice and do what we can to help.”

The campaign has seen hundreds of people come together to assist struggling families in Bolton.

And according to workers there, this project has come just in time.

Olivia Dunne, an MA student and senior playworker at Bolton Lads and Girls Club said: “I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of students coming in who haven’t eaten breakfast and it’s pretty clear that the meals we provide here are the only meals many are having during the day.

“Asda gave us lots of food hampers and when that ended recently, we haven’t stopped getting requests from parents about when they’ll start again, or if there’ll be anymore.”

This seems to echo findings from a recent YouGov poll, which revealed that one in three people on Universal Credit in the UK have been unable to afford adequate food: meaning they had more than one day in the last month where they didn’t eat at all, or only had one meal.

Another volunteer said: “A lot of the time, it’s hard to know from the children how bad the situation is at home, as parents often try to protect them from their financial worries by skipping meals when they aren’t there.

"At least with projects like this, where children can take meals home, people don’t have to starve themselves in order to make sure their kids are fed.

"It isn’t just about the children - it’s about making sure that entire families are supported.”

To access a free meal, contact Bolton Lads and Girls Club by phoning 01204 540100 or emailing enquiries@blgc.co.uk.

If you’re a brand who wants to get involved with the scheme, get in touch with Love Energy Savings by emailing pr@loveenergysavings.com.