A trailblazing scheme to feed children’s minds and bodies will be rolled out across Allerdale through the summer holidays.

Feed and Read is a pioneering joint initiative spearheaded by Cumbria County Council and Allerdale Borough Council against a background of food poverty in the region.

Paid for by the county council’s 0-19 Fund, the project will combine for the first time a well-established summer reading challenge, a healthy packed lunch and physical activities for primary school children.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the County Council’s Area Committee for Allerdale, the area manager Lizzy Shaw set out the possible benefits of the scheme.

She said: “I am quite excited by this.

“We had the school reading challenge every summer and the idea was that children who finished school in July don’t read at all in the summer holidays and take a real dip when they go back to school in September.

“The summer reading challenge is a national initiative that encourages children to borrow books on a weekly basis, and we have done it in the past.

“There are also a number of families in Allerdale whose children are on free school meals and during the summer holidays it costs them an awful lot more because they are now feeding them at lunchtime, and that is a big deal for some people.

“So the (Community Services) team have come up with Feed and Read – and we are going to run a scheme alongside summer reading challenge where we will encourage children to come and take part in activities including going for walks.”

Council chiefs have no idea at this stage what the take up might be but similar initiatives have proved popular in the past.

Three libraries – Moorclose, Workington and Maryport – will be involved in the project, areas which all have a higher take-up for school meals.

But council chiefs have stressed it is open to all not just those living in food poverty.

Ms Shaw said: “For me though, the important thing is this is not to be stigmatised so this is not ‘If you can’t afford to feed your children, come along’.

“This is an open offer so there is something about feeding young minds and feeding their tummies as well.”