Stockport County has launched its Food for Christmas campaign to provide meals to children over the Christmas break.

Following the decision by the government not to provide free school meals over the Christmas holidays, it is estimated that 7,500 children in Stockport will struggle to be fed over this period.

The Hatters are aiming to raise £220,000 to provide food vouchers and lift the burden on families at what should be a special time of year.

“This is a subject very close to my heart, growing up my mum relied on free school meals for both myself and my sister, and it is devastating to think so many families will struggle over the Christmas period,” said club owner Mark Stott said.

“I would like to thank Marcus Rashford and everyone else who has campaigned and raised awareness on the subject.

“We appreciate it’s been a difficult and uncertain time for lots of people this year, but I’d like to call on all our fans and corporate sponsors, who find themselves in a more fortunate position, to make a donation.

“Anything they can afford, however large or small, it all helps towards our goal of giving these families a Christmas to look forward to.”

Stott has donated £100,000 to the campaign and the club hopes to raise the remainder through a combination of shop sales, corporate sponsors and donations from fans.

Stockprt are partnering with charity Sector 3 to distribute the proceeds. Sector 3 supports individuals, organisations and communities through a multi-faceted suite of support, training, guidance and funding opportunities, enabling organisations to deliver social action on local priorities.

If the government does a U-turn at any point during the campaign, the money will be donated to Sector 3 and partners to support families in need within the Stockport area over the Christmas period.

Donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stockportfoodforchristmas