'Lifeline' breakfast club reopens for city children

The breakfast club restarted on 13 May after it closed in March due to funding cuts

A "lifeline" breakfast club credited with bringing together a community is up and running again - two months after it closed due to funding cuts.

The Compas Charity in Peterborough has run the twice-weekly club in Millfield - one of the most deprived areas of the city - for the last 18 months.

It had supported more than 400 local primary school children, providing breakfasts and snacks on Mondays and Fridays.

Petr Torak, the charity's chief executive, said it was "sad to see children still queuing outside the centre for breakfast since its closure".

Peterborough City Council said Compas had been supported via the Household Support Fund, which ended on 31 March.

Mr Torak said the "essential service" was forced to close after its £20,000 funding ran out.

Parents had previously told the BBC the club was a "saviour" and a "lifeline" at a time when families struggled with the cost of living rise.

Raimonda Gecaite is one of the volunteers who runs the breakfast club alongside Petr Torak and Compas

The project was launched in 2022 after Mr Torak said he was aware children in the city were going to school hungry.

“I saw the children going to school with a packet of crisps and an energy drink," he said.

“When we did a trial we could see what effect it had – children running towards the breakfast club in the morning, parents telling us [that] children were waking up earlier to get to the club.

“It made our relationship to the local community much stronger, parents would help us when it was very busy.

"[It] created a very strong bond with the local community."

The breakfast club will continue for six months.

Peterborough City Council has been asked for comment.