GLASGOW’S efforts to stop kids going hungry over summer have been praised by a children’s champion.

Bruce Adamson, the Scottish children’s commissioner for children and young people, said the schemes across the city, such as primary school summer clubs and foodbank clubs, were an important part of tackling summer hunger.

It comes after the Evening Times highlighted the plight of thousands of Glasgow kids who were expected to rely on foodbanks and summer schemes to make it through the holidays.

Foodbanks across the city have been gearing up for a surge in visitors over July and August, while an extra five primary schools have also been added to the list of those offering holiday lunch clubs this year.

Mr Adamson has also said school holiday hunger is “a significant human rights issue” in Scotland, and has called on the UK and Scottish Governments to gather accurate data on the extent of the problem.

Mr Adamson said: “While these schemes provide a vital safety net, we need to see holiday hunger within the broader context of poverty and food insecurity.

“The issue is not just about food. Holiday hunger and child poverty is a significant children’s rights issue in Scotland.

“A sustained, systematic and human rights-based approach at national and local level is needed to address and eradicate it.”

He added: “No child should be going hungry in the holidays. Children have a right to be free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

“Experiencing food insecurity as a child impacts negatively on physical health, mental health, and developmental outcomes and is a violation of their rights.

“It will shortly be the end of the school holidays and many children will have had a great summer break. Others will be less fortunate. For some children, school holidays can be a difficult time.

“Not only do they miss out on much of the play, culture, and informal education that the summer provides, many return to school in a worse state of health than at the start of the holidays which impacts on their ability to learn.

“It is not only having to pay for meals children usually get free at school, but there are additional costs for working parents. Then there are those hidden ‘holiday costs’ that many take for granted; days out and little treats.

“For many these are unaffordable luxuries as life simply becomes about surviving the holiday period, rather than enjoying it.

“Last year, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child raised concerns that Scotland didn’t have accurate data on the scale of food insecurity.

“We are seeing the effects of this right now across Scotland – we know children are going hungry, yet we do not know the full extent of the problem.”

Earlier this month, the Evening Times donated sports and arts kit to a Glasgow foodbank to help with its summer lunch clubs.

The North West Foodbank at Blawarthill church is holding its sessions for up to 60 children and their parents twice a week throughout the holidays to alleviate the financial strain over sum