More than 100 school children in Hertsmere are receiving free meals this Christmas.

The hot meals are being delivered by Communities 1st volunteers to the homes of nearly 140 pupils signed up to Hertsmere Borough Council's free meals scheme during the festive school break.

The food is cooked fresh each day by the Akshaya Patra Kitchen in Watford run by GMSP Foundation, a charity supporting marginalised communities in the UK and India.

Council leader Cllr Morris Bright said: “Hertsmere acted quickly to ensure that families who are struggling financially don’t have to worry about getting a hot meal for their children during the Christmas holidays. With so much financial uncertainty at present, it's crucial local councils continue to act and provide support.

“I’m very grateful to the GMSP Foundation and Akshaya Patra for their very generous and proactive offers of support in looking after the borough’s children. My thanks too to our staff who have worked so hard on organising this project and to Communities 1st and their volunteers for their invaluable help. A final word to the Arsenal in the Community project and Herts Sports Partnership for providing activity packs to include with the packages that the children will be receiving.”

Ramesh Sachdev, co founder of GMSP Foundation said: “The health of our children today will predict the health of our society in the years to come; we simply cannot expect to have a healthy, prosperous future for the UK if we leave children hungry and underfed.

"The holidays can be a difficult time for many families, especially after the challenging year we have all faced. We are pleased that GMSP Foundation is able to lend a helping hand to our neighbouring families at this important time by providing them with hot and nutritious meals."