Special help will again be made available over the Easter school holiday for eligible families in Cambridgeshire affected by the pandemic.

The government-backed schemes set up to help struggling families during Covid-19 are due to end on March 31.

However, Cambridgeshire County Council’s (CCC) joint administration has agreed to earmark £3.6m in one-off funds to extend the holiday voucher scheme in Cambridgeshire for a further year as part of the pandemic recovery.

The scheme will therefore run in each of the school holidays and half terms for the next 12 months.

Cllr Bryony Goodliffe, chair of CCC’s children and young people’s committee, said: “I am delighted that the joint administration has agreed to continue funding this excellent scheme for a further 12 months, even when the government decided to end it.”

The council will issue each eligible child or young person a £30 supermarket voucher to cover the Easter holiday period.

The scheme offers parents a voucher for a choice of supermarkets and they will be sent to eligible families automatically using school data and information held by the local authority.

The voucher will be sent by email and/or text to the nominated parent or carer.

Those eligible for the voucher will be pupils who meet the following criteria:

  • Early years pupil premium

  • Children eligible for income related two-year-old education

  • Eligible for income-related free school meals

  • Students eligible for 16+ bursary

The voucher does not need to be used in a single shopping trip and, once claimed, will last for at least a year.

Cllr Goodliffe added: “The holiday voucher scheme provides essential help to those families which need it most and I am proud to be able to support it again.”

If your child is eligible for income-related free school meals, or any of the other criteria listed above, they will automatically receive a voucher for the Easter holiday period.

Any children who become eligible up until April 19 2022 will also receive a voucher.

Further details about the Cambridgeshire holiday voucher scheme can be found on Cambridgeshire County Council’s website.