There are still plenty of Healthy Start vouchers left in Cumbria to claim.

The vouchers are from the government and are for people who are pregnant or have a child under the age of four.

The vouchers allow someone to buy basic foods like milk or fruit.

According to the Government, if someone qualifies for the Healthy Start vouchers, they can use them in over 30,000 shops in the UK.

They also say someone can swap the Healthy Start vouchers for pregnancy vitamins, breastfeeding vitamins, and vitamins for children aged between six months and five years old.

The Government has laid out what the vouchers can get someone clearly, and said a voucher is worth £4.25, and can be spent on: cow’s milk; fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables; infant formula milk and; fresh, dried, and tinned pulses.

In Cumbria, only 49 per cent of the vouchers have been claimed.

The vouchers that Cumbria County Council have are eligible for anyone who lives under their authority.

Because of the high amount of the vouchers that are left, both Councillor Mike Hawkins, Cumbria County Councillor for Mirehouse and Copeland Borough Councillor for Whitehaven South, and Councillor Emma Louise Williamson, Cumbria County Councillor for Kells and Sandwith, have made announcements on social media describing the availability of the vouchers as 'sad'.

Councillor Williamson wrote: "[It is] really sad to see less than half of the healthy start vouchers are claimed in Cumbria."

You get one voucher a week if: you’re pregnant; you have a child aged between one and four and; you get two vouchers a week if you have a child under one.

You can also get free vitamin supplements.

You can get Healthy Start vouchers if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. If you live in Scotland, apply for Best Start Foods instead.

Applicant can apply for eligibility for the Healthy Starts scheme by filling out a free application form, the form can be accessed at https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply/.