Children who were born on or after the 1st September 2002 are eligible for a £250 Child Trust Fund voucher and Islwyn MP, Don Touhig has called on parents to open an account and get family and friends to contribute.
The account belongs to the child and cannot be touched until they turn 18, so that children have some money behind them to start their adult life – it is an ideal way of building a nest egg for the future.

New figures show that in Islwyn, 3,491Child Trust Fund vouchers have been issued to parents. Any remaining unused vouchers will have accounts automatically opened by HM Revenue and Customs after 12 months so that no child loses out.

Don said: ‘The Child Trust Fund is a great way of saving for a child's future. All parents with children born since September 2002 will have received a £250 voucher to get an account started. The government will add an extra £250 for families on lower incomes, and there will be further top-ups when children reach the age of seven.

‘I am pleased that so many parents in Islwyn have already opened an account for their child, but I want to encourage all eligible parents to open an account and get friends, grandparents and the whole family involved.’