A campaign to promote healthy eating in youngsters has enlisted two animated recruits to help out.

Cartoon teenagers Roxie and Billy are helping North Yorkshire County Council to encourage children to eat healthily.

They are part of a national on-line scheme at myschool lunch.co.uk featuring North Yorkshire and 24 other councils.

Councillor John Watson, the executive member for schools, said: "Getting children to understand the importance of healthy diet isn't always easy. But Billy and Roxie make it great fun - and not just for the kids, for the parents too."

The North Yorkshire scheme was launched last week on the interactive website.

It is aimed primarily at youngsters aged between seven and 11 and has links to the national curriculum.

Children who log on can visit a general area with games, interviews and features. They can also access an area of the website that has been allocated to the county council, which has information about the importance of a balanced diet.

The North Yorkshire section also has information about the healthy meals on offer at schools and children are asked to comment on the choice of foods chosen by the council's catering staff. As well as educating children the site also serves as an information point for parents.

The myschoollunch.co.uk gets more than 2,000 hits in North Yorkshire each month.

Coun Watson said: "It's been a great year so far for school meals in North Yorkshire.

"We've managed to increase the number of pupils taking school dinners, bucking the national trend, and have managed to increase the proportion of foods sourced locally to about 70 per cent.

"Hopefully, these new mascots will help us to sustain these successes."

The council's former healthy eating mascot, Herbie Carrot, now only promotes healthy meals for under sevens.