RESTAURANTS are being invited to back a new campaign to tackle child hunger from Wirral's state-of-the-art youth zone The Hive.

The Never Bee Hungry Campaign has been launched in partnership with CPL Training Group and asks venues to offer their customers the chance to add a voluntary £1 donation to their bills which will go to support the project.

Any donations would go directly to support the Youth Zone in providing young people in need with 'food for today and skills for life' to help tackle the poverty.

In recent figures, the Wirral Intelligence Service say one in two children live in poverty in the most disadvantaged areas in the borough while more than ten times as many youngsters go hungry in the most deprived wards compared to the most affluent.

Chief executive at The Hive Adam Mellor told the Globe: “No child should go hungry or have their future pre-determined by where they are born, this is something we firmly believe in at The Hive.

"But, every-day, we see examples of young people who, simply as a result of their circumstances, have had to go hungry in order that their families can get by.

"We see families trapped in a spiral of poverty and hunger that can persist for generations – and we want to do something about it; not only to help feed young people in need now but to equip them with the skills they need to break the cycle and escape future poverty.

“At The Hive we work with schools to keep young people in education through our Inspiring Futures programme and equip them with the confidence and skills they need to secure employment, through our Get a Job course, which has a near 80% success rate.

"Funds raised through the Never Bee Hungry campaign will help us to keep delivering these programmes, addressing the root causes of child hunger and poverty.

"We are confident that Wirral’s restaurateurs will give their full backing to our campaign and, along with their customers, will help us to make a difference to young people in need on their doorstep.”

In 2018, The Hive served more than 35,000 hot meals to its young members including 5,000 free meals to young people who would otherwise have been at risk from hunger during summer holidays.

Food at the hub is provided to young people at a subsidised cost of just £1 per meal.

Already signing up to the campaign, is Thyme bistro in Oxton Village which is owned by patron of The Hive and chief executive of the award-winning Panoramic 34, Cathy Frost, she said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to get behind a tremendous cause, right on our doorstep.

"We’ve been involved with similar schemes in the past and have been thrilled by the generosity of our customers.

"We think what The Hive is striving to achieve with Never Bee Hungry will really resonate with the people who visit Thyme and we’re proud to be playing a part.”

To thank businesses for their involvement, The Hive will offer the chance for staff to enjoy a team-building experience at the facility which can involve anything from an afternoon on the climbing wall, a pampering session or a music recording experience at its studio.

Anyone interested in the Never Bee Hungry campaign can contact The Hive’s Head of Fundraising Tom Woolley via tom.woolley@thehiveyouthzone.org