We know that many families will struggle with the cost of living this winter. Heating bills and food costs as well as interest rates are increasing. Taking up free school meals could ease the financial burden families are facing by saving parents and carers up to ?437 per year. All primary school children in reception, year one and year two are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals, free for all children in Government funded schools. Just ask at your school office to have Universal Infant Free School Meals.

If you receive benefits, your children may be entitled to continue having Free School Meals after year two. You can check your eligibility and apply here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

Our catering service, Eat Culture, supplies catering to many city schools. They serve healthy, balanced and freshly prepared school meals helping children concentrate at school and supporting their health and wellbeing.

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals they will also qualify for our free Fun and Food offer this October Half Term. Session places are limited and must be booked in advance using the contact details given by each session provider. Some places are available on a first come, first served basis for children who are not receiving free school meals too.

Find out more and book a place here

The Energy Bill Rebate scheme to support people with the rising cost of gas and electricity with a one off payment of ?150 has now come to an end with?over?118,000?payments made to eligible city residents.

The discretionary?fund is ongoing and the council has now started to make further payments?to certain groups of people. These groups include: ??

• Households in Council Tax bands E ? H who get Council Tax reduction
• Households in bands E ? H who get Disability Relief
• Households in bands E ? H who get Carers Discount
• Households in bands E-H who don?t pay Council Tax due to all residents being under 18 or only occupied by severely mentally impaired residents
• Houses of Multiple Occupation such as house shares, where residents pay their energy bills but not their Council Tax
• Care leavers who have left care in Nottingham city and who are under 25
• Pensioners in Council Tax bands A-H who get Council Tax support?
• Households of working age people who get Council Tax support

If you are eligible, you will either receive a voucher which you can take to a Post Office to receive the payment or a direct payment will be made into your bank account if we already hold your details. The size of the payment will vary according to people?s individual circumstances. For instance, if you already receive Council Tax Support, you may receive a small top-up payment.

Payments will also be available to people living in Houses of Multiple Occupation and we will be setting up an online registration process?for making a claim.

You do not need to contact us, payments to all eligible residents will be made before 30th November.? For those residents who live in Houses of Multiple Occupancy please keep an eye out for further communications with a link to register your details shortly.

Nottingham-born BBC presenter Summaya Mughal has been learning to swim at Active Nottingham pools in a bid to encourage other South Asian women to take the plunge. Learning to swim is such an important life skill and this campaign looks to break down the barriers some may face when it comes to swimming and help to get more communities involved.

Active Nottingham has supported her during her journey which she started sharing on her BBC Sounds podcast and BBC East Midlands Today earlier this week in a five-part series that looks into learning to swim at the age of 27 and explores why many South Asian women are less likely to swim.

The series titled ?Brown Gal Can?t Swim? sees Summaya learn to swim in just eight weeks at Active Nottingham swimming pools, supported by Nottingham Swim School swimming teacher Victoria Charles. Olympians Rebecca Adlington and Alice Dearing also got behind the campaign with support and guidance and set Summaya additional challenges including a 500m open water swim ? will she do it? You?ll have to listen to the podcast to find out!

The Brown Gal Can?t Swim podcast is available on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p0ctzgft It will also be broadcast as a series on BBC East Midlands Today this week