TWO selfless mums want to help parents on Universal Credit get back to work by hosting after school clubs.

Jo Quinn, 44, and Alexis Wright 24 , set up Little Warriors in Mauchline after becoming alarmed at the stark poverty levels in Scotland.

They also plan to set up breakfast clubs for the kids to make sure they have something in their stomach to start the day.

It comes after a new study revealed that Scots, including those in East Ayrshire, are going days without eating due to food insecurity.

An in-depth report by The Menu for Change group – which brings together campaigners from the Poverty Alliance, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and Nourish – is the first research of its kind to examine the root causes and affects of the issue.

The association has urged the Scottish Parliament to introduced a ‘right to food’ into Scots Law.

Now the mums are dedicating their free time to helping families look after local kids and free up their parents time.

Jo said:“Basically we are two mums who thought the poverty level of kids in Scotland are really high.

“It is so scary to think about it, so we thought let’s get together and put something together that would put a wee in dent into it.

“We want to get it started in Mauchline then move it on once it is up and running. The plan is to have breakfast clubs and school clubs that might give parents who are on universal credit a chance to go out and work.

“We want to make somewhere available for them so they don’t have to pay out hundreds of money on child care to help the Universal credit issue. Our love of kids motivates us and that we just like to help, you can’t do that by sitting around doing nothing.

“I’m a determined person so that helps.

“We have had a couple of meetings with local councillors and we are currently waiting on someone getting back to us regarding a hall. There’s kids out there who don’t get many opportunities so I want to give every child an opportunity, or at least as many as I can.

“I’m hoping to get it up in the next couple of months. We have set up the Little Warriors Facebook page and are hoping people find out and look into it through word of mouth. A lot of people are backing us already because they know how much we need this in Mauchline as we don’t currently have anything like it.”