'I'm dreading it': The streets where the school holidays are something people fear

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

As the school summer holidays near, many families are looking forward to days out and trips abroad. But on the streets of Harpurhey - one of the most deprived areas in the UK - the looming summer break is being viewed with anxiety and dread.

Here, the cost of living crisis has bitten hard. Rather than fretting about queues at Manchester Airport, parents say they are more concerned about putting food on the table.

During term time, a large proportion of children in this part of this city rely on free school meals. Across Manchester as a whole, 40.9pc of children (37,502) qualified for free school meals as of January - a figure likely to have increased further as inflation continues to soar. READ MORE: Cost of living crisis deepens north-south divide - with Mancunians left £130 worse off But the lifeline - which guarantees the poorest children at least one nutritious hot meal each day - looks set to come to an end, potentially plunging even more households into hardship over the next two months.

Sharlee Connolly's seven-year-old daughter, Harmony, is one of those eligible for free meals. In the past, her primary school has provided food vouchers to pupils during the school holidays, however, there is currently no such system in place for the summer break.