For millions of children, there is no summer break from poverty.
Summer holidays should be a time of play, and a space to build memories.
But with 1 in 4 children living in poverty in the UK, an estimated 2.7 million children are at risk of hunger this summer. As the cost of living continues to put pressure on family budgets, many parents are being forced to make impossible choices - choosing between essentials like food, and bills.
It doesn't have to be like this.
Save the Children works in communities to put an end to child poverty and hunger. But this work is only possible with your help.
Your support could help families access free food, activities, family cash grants and advice - bridging the summer gap and beyond. Will you donate today so we can reach children growing up in poverty here in the UK and around the world?
This summer, poverty will quietly strip away childhoods
No child should have to miss out on summer. It’s a time that should shape childhood. Six whole weeks with the freedom to play, explore and just be a child.
- With 1 in 4 children growing up in poverty in the UK – that means millions of children going without for 6 weeks. Without school meals. Without family trips. Without the freedom to feel like a child. Summer holidays should be shaping childhoods, but they’re creating a gap which is too big to fill.
- Poverty doesn't just affect a child's access to essentials; it impacts their development too: 33% of children living in poverty fall behind with their education.
- In England, 23% of children living in poverty miss expected levels of language development by the age of 5. Poverty can hold children back far beyond their childhood.
Working with partners, we provide families with food, practical advice, holiday activities and cash grants.
By donating today, you help us make a difference across the UK for child poverty and support those who need it most.
Jack, 1, enjoying his apple at a Holiday Bites session. With your support, we can reach more families with nutritious food, activities and support during the holidays and beyond. Photo: Harry Lawlor/Save the Children
How your support protects childhood this summer
Your donation today could make a real difference to a child this summer:
£30 could help families in the UK access a grant, which means they can buy essentials like a school uniform when the new term starts
£70 could provide 7 bags of nutritious food and low-cost recipe ideas for children going hungry over the holidays
£120 could go toward funding a holiday bites session, including craft activities and healthy food
Together, we can ensure every child has the childhood they deserve.
Sammie & grandchildren make a picnic together, using food from their 'Holiday Bites' bags. Harry Lawlor
This is your moment to help more children this summer
Harry Lawlor
Anna Sass/ Save the Children
Anna Sass
How Save the Children supports families in the UK
We've been working with families, communities and local partners across the UK, making sure children don't miss out on childhood because of poverty.
- Our emergency grants programme reaches thousands of homes, delivering early education packs, supermarket vouchers and household essentials to help struggling families.
- We unite families and schools, making sure children get extra support, and help parents build a positive home environment.
- We strengthen partnerships between parents, schools, nurseries, GPs, food pantries, health visitors, housing managers, and family support workers to make sure there are no gaps for children to fall through.
- We work alongside our partners to support community-led initiatives like the 'Holiday Bites' sessions - which were the result of our research with parents which revealed they felt embarrassed to be accessing the pantry in front of their children during the holidays. To tackle the stigma, Save the Children and our community partners came up with the idea of running community activities at the same time as giving out free food bags - giving families a social day out and peer support.
- We research to find the most impactful policy changes that would make the UK a fairer place for all children. Then we campaign alongside kids, parents, and volunteers to persuade the government to put them in place; our recent wins include expanding free school meals in England and scrapping the two-child limit to benefits.
Think that’s worth supporting? Donate to Save the Children today.
Watch: The Elephant in the Room
Watch our animation, The Elephant in the Room, narrated by Himesh Patel. It tells the story of a family navigating poverty during the school holidays - and the moments that childhood poverty quietly takes away.
Together and with your support, we can make sure children don't miss out on childhood because of poverty.
*Names changed to protect children.
