'People might not be able to feed their children'

Rising costs and a lack of funding mean a Hull charity can no longer afford to cook and hand out subsidised meals to those who need them.

Environmental & Management Solutions (EMS) has distributed about 57,000 meals over the past seven years.

But its Freedom Food Ready Meals project, which has been funded since 2018 by the National Lottery and a number of smaller grants, is due to come to an end on 31 March.

Chief executive Jan Boyd said: "We have worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to secure longer-term funding to keep the project running [but] now – as awful as it sounds – without us some people might not be able to afford to feed their children.

"It's heartbreaking for us. We've really tried to keep the project running but we just do not have the funding to back it up."

Some of the weekly meals are bought by community groups. West Hull rugby club feeds up to 160 people on Thursdays, for example.

Andy Rees, co-ordinator of the Freedom Food project, said: "The costs are growing and growing... it's just killed us.

"Sadly, there are going to be hungry families and kids. It's so sad.

"People will be going to bed and waking up hungry. When you're cold you can put another jumper on but you can't function when you're hungry."

Julie, a volunteer at EMS who also uses the service to feed herself and her daughter, said the meals lasted them for two or three days, and they were a "godsend".

She added: "Food prices are just going up and up, and sometimes you just can't afford to eat – simple as that.

"I honestly think people will start to starve because of how expensive supermarket food is getting."