A POOLE mum sick of waiting for the council to provide hot school food for her daughter is taking action herself.

Heather Williams, whose daughter attends Courthill First School, Parkstone, has set up a Schools Nutritional Action Group (SNAG), to call for better food.

At the moment she can only provide her child with a packed lunch, which cannot be refrigerated during the day.

And while Borough of Poole is required by the government to introduce hot school meals at all its primary schools by 2008, she wants the change to come sooner.

The mum-of-two has already been inundated with offers of support from other parents from her own and other local schools, and arranged meetings with potential suppliers.

But she is calling for more help, and urging everyone from teachers to professionals such as nutritionists and caterers to get in touch.

She said: "I want the teachers the parents and the local authority to work together to make this happen.

"I feel we need to get together and start changing the way this is done."

Karen Withers, principal officer for healthy eating, including school meals, at the Borough of Poole, said: "Government legislation makes it a requirement that hot meals are provided in all Poole primary schools by September 2008. It is our aim to see a phased introduction of a hot meals service from September 2007.

"A number of local schools are already benefiting from a hot meals service and plans are in place for more schools to receive this service in the near future.

Anyone wishing to join SNAG should contact Heather on 07703 496156.