SCHOOLS in Bolton are being given almost £500,000 to improve the diet of their pupils.

The cash, which comes directly from the Government, must be spent on improving food in schools and giving youngsters nutritional advice.

Every secondary school in Bolton will be given £1,500 each year for the next three years, while primary schools will receive £1,040 every 12 months for the same period.

The scheme will be managed by the school meals service at Bolton Council and the borough's Primary Care Trust's healthy schools team.

A council spokesman said that the school meals service had designed a brochure of ideas which included growing kits for tomatoes and herbs, recipe books, and a chilled packed lunch storage trolley.

"This investment is designed to improve the awareness of, and access to, better dietary health advice and habits, " he added.

The cash can be used for setting up cookery clubs, providing water, buying fridges for packed lunches or putting up notice boards advising youngsters about healthy foods.

Marie Bisset, senior health promotion specialist for healthy schools, said: "Making healthy choices easier for pupils is an important factor in improving children's overall health, so this ear-marked funding has been welcome.

"It has given us an opportunity to work with the school meals service and individual schools, looking at healthy eating throughout the day, from breakfast clubs to snacks and cold drinks, to support good nutrition and meet healthy schools targets."

Health bosses have recently weighed Bolton's year six and reception class youngsters in a bid to discover how many of the borough's children are overweight.

It is the first time the data, which is currently being analysed, has been collected centrally.

Previously, youngsters were weighed by the school nurse when the started primary school, but the information was not gathered centrally.