Yorkshire cafes, pubs and restaurants back Marcus Rashford and offer to feed hungry children over half term after Government voted against

A vote on the measures was backed by Labour and made its way to Parliament this week, but it was defeated by 322 votes to 261.

Now dozens of hospitality businesses have shown they "stand with Rashford, not the 322", by supporting families during the school holidays.

Brother and sister John and Sadie Graves run the Loft Cafe in Bingley and have offered to feed local children during half term.

Mr Graves said: “We wanted to support local people and offer something to the local community. Why wouldn’t you?"

He said times are very difficult at the moment for cafes but they felt they had a duty to help, after the Government voted against the measure.

He added: “I just think it’s wrong, everything’s wrong in this country."

In Rotherham, April Gamston, owner of The Marmalade Hut, said she had struggled herself to feed her children as a working mum, which is why she offered to feed hungry children, despite the difficulties with running a cafe during the pandemic.

She said: “It’s penalising the younger ones who can’t feed themselves and rely on adults for support. It’s not on. We see a lot of families from the surrounding areas who struggle and we’ve been helped with government schemes so I wanted to pay it forward.”

The acts of generosity come amid a difficult time for the hospitality industry, with many business owners struggling to cope with the effects of coronavirus restrictions on their trade.

Rashford, who was recently awarded an MBE after forcing a Government U-turn on free school meal vouchers over the summer holidays, said he was "blown away" by the offers of support, and has been retweeting businesses offering free meals.

"Selflessness, kindness, togetherness, this is the England I know," the Manchester United footballer tweeted.

"Add #ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY to your tweets so I can track them. I will share as many as I can."

A number of councils have also said they will offer free school meals for children, including Doncaster Council.

Mayor Ros Jones said it was "the right thing to do".

Businesses in Yorkshire which have offered to help:

West Yorkshire

Loft Cafe Bingley, Bradford

Ruddi's Retreat Huddersfield

Elliots Craft Pizza & Grill Ripponden, Halifax,

Mumtaz Leeds

GDPR Tuition in Queensbury, Bradford, are handing out food parcels

South Yorkshire

Sheffield The Handsworth Inn,

Rotherham The Sandwich Shop,

The Marmalade Hut Rotherham,

The Rhubarb Shed Cafe Sheffield,

Delphine Fish and Chips Heeley,

Lillies Rotherham

North Yorkshire

Portofino Harrogate

East Yorkshire

Pearsons Bar Hull

Kingfisher Fish and Chips Hull