EXTRA funding has been made available to help vulnerable children in Hampshire.

Hampshire County Council has created £320,000 worth of funding for childcare, voluntary and charity organisations to provide activities and food during the February half term school holiday.

The community grant money has been added to the ‘connect4communities’ scheme which supports families in financial difficulty caused by the coronavirus lockdown.

Community, charity or voluntary organisations and childcare providers (including out-of-school childcare) are encouraged to apply.

Hampshire County Council’s executive lead member for children’s services and young people, Cllr Patricia Stallard said: “Owing to the current national lockdown restrictions, we are unable to deliver the holiday playscheme in the half term as originally planned under our ‘connect4communities’ programme. However, to make sure we can still provide support to households who would have benefited from the scheme, we have extended the ‘connect4communities’ Community Grants criteria to enable local organisations to apply for the money instead, so they can operate similar activity and food schemes.

“We believe that transferring the funds from the holiday playscheme to Community Grants is the most effective course of action in light of the changing circumstances. I am encouraged, by the grant applications we have received so far, that our communities will find many wonderful ways to put this funding to good use and help families and individuals who are struggling financially due to the pandemic.”