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.
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.
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
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.
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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.
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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 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.
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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.
Featured Image – Tesco
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Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
‘Violent’ Salford man jailed after raping two women he met on dating apps
Emily Sergeant
A man from Salford who police describe as ‘violent’ has been jailed after raping two women he met on dating apps.
Kenny Cox appeared at Manchester Crown Court for his sentencing last week (23 October) in relation to the rape of two women – one in November 2021 and one in September 2024.
The 46-year-old was arrested on 8 September 2024, charged and then remanded, before standing trial for both rapes in March 2025.
The trial, however, resulted in a hung jury, so a new trial commenced in August 2026, and Cox was then subsequently found guilty of two counts of rape and one of attempted rape.
It comes after, on 7 November 2021, one of the victims met up with Cox after connecting through a dating app. They went to a property in Salford, and after drinking alcohol together, the victim began to feel hazy and described herself as ‘feeling paralysed’ and ‘unable to move’.
It was during this time she was raped by the suspect.
After she was able to move, she left the property in a taxi and subsequently reported the incident to the police.
Cox was arrested on 14 November 2021 and bailed with stringent bail conditions not to contact the victim. But then, on 4 September 2024, he met up with a second victim, again after connecting through a dating app, and they went to a property in Salford where he raped her before she was able to leave and inform police.
Following the trial, Cox has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, with four years on licence.
He was also given an indefinite restraining order against the victims, and is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
“I would firstly like to commend the strength of the victims in this case,” commented Detective Sergeant James Walsh, of GMP’s Salford Criminal Investigation Department. “They have gone through this trial process twice now and each time have has shown incredible courage to ensure Cox was put behind bars.
“He preyed on these women and is an violent, sexual offender.
“I hope this sentence and the subsequent sexual harm prevention order imposed gives the victims a sense of justice to help them try to move forward from this and put Kenny Cox firmly in their past where he belongs.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th July 2024 
