Two of the UK's biggest supermarkets have launched initiatives aimed at tackling food poverty while schools are out for summer.
With the final school term nearing an end now, and six weeks of freedom edging closer and closer for millions of children nationwide, Tesco and Sainsbury's are both looking to address the concerning rise in the number of young people going hungry while not in the classroom.
Ahead of the six-week holidays, the two supermarket chains have each announced a number of measures they will be taking to help families struggling with costs this summer.
Some kids may need a little extra help over the school holidays. We are making a £1m Tesco Stronger Starts donation to @fareshareuk and @trusselltrust to support families who need it. If you want to help too, pick up a pre-filled food donation bag in store this summer. #Tescopic.twitter.com/zSRwMceboQ
Tesco says it will be donating £1 million to food poverty organisations FareShare and the Trussell Trust this summer, and will also expand its pre-packed customer donation bags - which typically cost between £2 and £3, are pre-filled with healthy and nutritious long-life items, and can be picked up in store and paid for at the checkout - to all of its large stores across the UK.
The donated food is passed to FareShare and the Trussell Trust, which then distributes it to charities and foodbanks to help families who need it most.
In addition to the donation bags, for one week in July and another in August, Tesco customers will also have the chance to round up their bill at the checkout, either in store or online, to the nearest pound as a way of donating to the two organisations.
Tesco and Sainsbury's have launched initiatives to tackle food poverty during the school summer holidays / Credit: Sainsbury's
Over at Sainsbury's, the supermarket has partnered with charity Comic Relief in a commitment to donate more than £2.5 million to help families with access to nutritious food by providing over one million meals in the school holidays.
The retailer and charity are also working together to fund several food poverty organisations, as well as help launch five new food club hubs - which will run all year round, and provide long-term solutions to help improve families’ access to food, whether during term time or not.
We’re providing over one million meals to children facing food poverty in the school holidays, by donating over £2.5 million to @comicrelief. Until 23rd July, we’re donating 25p for every purchase of selected fruit and veg and until 30thJuly £100k will be donated from the… pic.twitter.com/nu3ICjV0us
— Sainsbury's News (@SainsburysNews) July 17, 2024
Sainsbury’s is also donating 25p to Comic Relief for every purchase of selected fruit and veg until 29 July, and donating £100,000 from the proceeds of all Dolmio product sales until 30 July.
The Trussell Trust revealed that nearly two-thirds of all its support last year was provided to families with children, and just last summer alone, the charity's food banks supported 430,000 people with emergency food, and 160,000 of those were children.
The charity says it expects to see a similar demand this summer, or potentially even higher.
Also, kids can eat for free with any paying adult at all in-store cafes nationwide for the duration of the six-week break at both of the supermarkets.
Farmer Copleys, which is behind the popular Tulip Festival attraction, has spoken out after the tragic death of a dog who visited last weekend.
The family-run farm has decided to ban dogs (with the exception of service dogs) from its site, after a visitor reported that her beloved springer spaniel Bobby had died just hours after attending the Tulip Festival.
It's believed that Bobby had eaten a tulip bulb or flower, which can be deadly to dogs.
Farmer Copleys has now shared a statement about the incident, writing that the team are 'deeply saddened' by the animal's death.
They stressed that while the exact cause of his death remains unknown, they 'do not wish to take any further risks' and will no longer be permitting dogs at the Tulip Festival.
"The safety and wellbeing of all our visitors and their pets is something we take extremely seriously," Farmer Copleys wrote in a statement shared today.
Customers who are no longer able to attend since the change are welcome to get in touch with the farm directly to discuss a refund.
And assistance dogs are still welcome, but owners will need to sign a disclaimer before taking them into the Tulip Festival.
Farmer Copleys tulip festival is one of the most popular events in Yorkshire every springDogs will no longer be allowed at the Tulip Festival
Farmer Copleys wrote: "We are deeply saddened by the recent incident involving a visitor’s dog following a visit to our Tulip Festival, and our thoughts remain with the owner at this difficult time.
"We must stress while the exact cause of this incident remains unknown, many flowers and plants in outdoor environments can pose risks to dogs if ingested, particularly the bulb, and we do not wish to take any further risk.
"The safety and wellbeing of all our visitors and their pets is something we take extremely seriously. As a precautionary measure, we have made the difficult decision to no longer permit dogs at our Tulip Festival for the remainder of the season.
"In addition, this has further reinforced our decision to close the pick your own area for the remainder of the festival.
"We understand this may be disappointing for some visitors. Any customers who have booked and are now unable to attend due to this change are welcome to contact us regarding a refund at info@farmercopleys.co.uk.
"We are undertaking a full investigation and make a decision on 2027’s season in due course."
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
It had previously been reported that Gail's would be going to Knaresborough, but the job posting appears to hint that Harrogate will be the first Yorkshire location.
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Emily Sergeant -
18th July 2024 
