Hundreds of children take part in free Easter holiday activities

Date Added: 29/04/2022

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme proves a hit!

Hundreds of children across Central Bedfordshire took part in fun, free activities during the Easter Holidays as a result of our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

We worked with providers including ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Creative Buzz, Bedford Blues Foundation and Woburn Safari Park, funding activities over the holidays for children eligible for free school meals.

On offer were activities ranging from holiday clubs, sports clubs, arts and crafts activities as well as days out at Mead Open Farm, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Woburn Safari Park. All the activities offered by the HAF programme are inclusive, so suitable for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Children who attended activities were provided with snacks throughout the day, and a healthy lunch.

A number of new providers signed up to host Easter activities, including Beecroft Academy in Dunstable whose holiday club was fully booked each day and Premier Education who ran a club at Henlow Academy.

One parent said: “We really appreciate the opportunity [for our daughter] to attend the holiday club as we couldn’t afford to send her ourselves. She has enjoyed it so much and we have had a much calmer and happier school holiday as a result."

We also issued more than 7,000 supermarket vouchers, each worth £30, to help families with food costs during the Easter holidays. The vouchers are funded by the Household Support Fund, which was introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions in November.