Community cafe in Aylesbury offering free school meals - just 'ask for Marcus'

The Aylesbury Community Cafe is offering the scheme through the half term.

'Ask for Marcus' - that's the message from one community cafe in Aylesbury to low income families.

Following the governments decision not to extend the free school lunch scheme through the half term, local restaurants, cafes and groups are offering help.

FED Cafe, a community cafe it is run by students from Pebble Brook school, is just one of those.

Jackie Robinson is Head of Pebble Brook Schools Sixth Form, and helps run the cafe with students:

"Children are the future and they're a big part of the community. There are several schools in the area and some of our students are disadvantaged.

"We know what its like to struggle to pay for things and we just wanted to do something that would help the community.

"We decided to offer free school meals simple as a gesture of kindness, because we are the only cafe in the area that can offer hot meals and cold meals."

Anyone wanting to take up this offer simply needs to go to the cafe, located at Walton Courts Health Living Centre and order their meal - then at the till ask for 'Marcus'.

The code word is inspired by the footballer Marcus Rashford who has been campaigning to reform the free school meals programme and end child food poverty.

He started a petition to make 3 changes to the free school lunches scheme, and last week MP's voted 322 to 261 against these changes.

When asked about why he voted not to support the changes, Aylesbury's MP Rob Butler explained:

"It wouldn't really be appropriate to ask schools to administer meals when they're meant to be on holiday. Does it mean you have to bring the head teacher in? Does it mean you have to bring other teachers and staff in?

"Free school meals, as the name suggests, are for term time. But I completely appreciate why people feel strongly about it.

"None of us want a child to go hungry, but the right way to do it is through broader welfare support."