POVERTY-STRICKEN children in York and North Yorkshire are going without proper food and clothes - and we should all act to help them.

This was the message brought to York by charity End Child Poverty yesterday, which says the number of youngsters facing deprivation is "shaming" the country.

York suburbs Westfield, Clifton and the Hull Road area were highlighted as areas with high numbers of families surviving solely on benefits, with 3.6 million children nationally living in poverty.

Selby MP John Grogan, who spoke at the charity's conference at St William's College, said the Government had pledged to stamp out poverty by 2020.

He said poorer families living in rural parts of North Yorkshire might suffer more than those in cities, such as Leeds or Bradford, because of the isolation they might face.

He said: "I get lots of letters from my constituents who are worried about poverty around the world, but not all of them are aware of poverty on their own doorsteps.

"In the poorest areas of this country if you are a mother from a poor social class you are 70 per cent more likely to have a seriously underweight baby than someone of the highest social class.

"It's a very big issue in our own community in York and North Yorkshire. A lot of kids have no chance and there's so much talent that's being wasted.

"In a way it's a hidden issue because if people are poor they don't really like talking about it. But poverty means that often children won't eat properly, or parents will give their food to the children and suffer themselves, some can't afford the clothes they need and parents can't afford school trips so kids can't take part in social activities. Sometimes rural poverty can be worse than urban poverty because if you're in a remote North Yorkshire village where there is only one bus a week then you could end up feeling isolated."

End Child Poverty representatives urged people to bring the problem to the fore and to contact their MPs.

Jonathan Stearn, End Child Poverty director, said: "It is appalling that in Britain in 2005 there are children whose parents cannot afford even the basic necessities others take for granted, such as a warm winter coat and three meals a day. We are seeing a determination to tackle poverty, but it is vital that we keep up the pressure on the Government to stick to its pledge to eradicate poverty by 2020.

"Poverty shames a relatively wealthy country like ours and we have a duty to stamp it out."

Percentages of homes on benefits:

Westfield - 29.9 per cent

Clifton - 27.7 per cent

Hull Road - 26.7 per cent

Monotony and struggle of a poor family's life

STEPHEN and Sandra Copping live in a two-bedroom house in Woodthorpe, York, with their three children aged 12, two and seven months.

They feed and clothe their family on £220-a-week, which includes Job Seekers Allowance for Stephen, 45, and Sandra, 38, Child Tax Credits and Child Benefit.

They say they struggle to give their children enough nutrients and any problems with their benefits can thrust them into severe financial hardship.

While they were waiting for their Child Tax Credit claim to be processed, they only ate one square meal a day.

"We can't really have a balanced diet and we can only give the kids fresh veg about twice a week," said Mr Copping, who is seeking employment.

"We eat a lot of fatty foods because we can't buy a lot of fresh and good food for the kids. It seems supermarkets only cater for the richer working class, so we have to go for value stuff, a lot of freezer and tinned food. We're only able to have a chicken or a joint now and again.

"The Government should be doing more to target poverty. I think they're preoccupied helping other countries to deal with some of the problems here."

Updated: 09:34 Saturday, February 05, 2005