Please see the information below released by the County Council.
Eligible families in Cumbria are being encouraged to apply for free vitamins and help with the cost of food and milk as part of the Healthy Start scheme.
The Healthy Start scheme has two elements to it. The first element is a prepaid card worth up to £8.50 per week to spend on fresh produce such as cow’s milk, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, infant formula milk and fresh, dried, and tinned pulses. To be eligible for the prepaid card you need to be in receipt of certain state benefits or pregnant and under 18. Check out the full eligibility criteria on the Cumbria Healthy Start scheme webpage.
The second element of the scheme offers free vitamins to pregnant women and mothers for up to six months after birth (if breastfeeding or dual feeding) as well as vitamin drops for children up until the age of four. Vitamins for pregnant women will initially be distributed by Midwives and Health Visitors during their early visits.
To find out more about Cumbria’s Healthy Start Scheme, how to apply for a Healthy Start pre-paid card and which community venues you can collect vitamins from, visit the Cumbria County Council website:
https://cumbria.gov.uk/publichealth/cumbriahealthystartscheme.asp
