A COMMUNITY scheme which helps hard-pressed parents afford days out with their children has received a boost.

Southend Soup invites community groups to bid for cash at its regular meetings.

Kids Out, run by Alexandra Waite, impressed with her scheme and was awarded £167.

She said: “We’ve been running since July, organising trips for families on low incomes. We’ve done trips to Disney on Ice with tickets costing £17 instead of £60 and we’ve got places like zoos and farms to give us big discounts.

“We just write to these places and ask for discounts.

“I’m really pleased Southend Soup liked our bid.”