Newham’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Newham children and young people benefit from free food and activities during school holidays
Newham Council is running a Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme – to provide free food and fun activities for thousands Newham children and young people during the school holidays.
Funded by the Government, the HAF programme, which forms part of Newham’s Young People and Food Security Strategy, is helping to tackle food poverty and holiday hunger faced by around one third of Newham’s children and young people.
The programme’s spokesperson said: “School holidays are a particularly difficult time for some families because of reduced income and increased costs relating to food and childcare.
“For some children and young people, this can lead to holiday hunger and a poor experience during the holidays. Children from these families more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health.
“These children are also less likely to access organised out-of-school activities and are more likely to experience social isolation.”
To deliver this year’s programme, Newham Council partnered with schools, the voluntary, community and faith sector and other local organisations to provide free holiday club places for children, who would usually receive free school meals during term time.
As well as receiving a healthy meal each day, children participated in a range of activities including music, art, yoga, climbing and abseiling, archery, canoeing and other sports, as well as maths, literacy and science.
Below are some comments from children and young people who benefited from the HAF programme this summer:
"This is really fun to play with my friends. . . Where I live there is no nearby park, so I spend most of the time in our flat watching TV or playing on my Xbox.”
“I’ve not been bored in these holidays”
“I’ll never forget the kind staff. You are like my family”
“I’ve learnt how to do new things”
One parent said: "The children never used to drink milk at home whereas they are drinking it now and also they are trying vegetables like peas and tomatoes which they didn't before."
Another parent said: "This programme has had such a positive impact on my daughter and us as a family. We’re new to the area and haven’t had the chance to meet new people or learn more about the community.
“As a result of going to this summer programme my daughter has learnt new skills and we’ve both made new friends.
“Every morning she was so excited to get ready and go. Thank you so much for putting this on despite the pandemic. It has really made our summer special!"
The programme, which is backed by football-star-turned-food-poverty-campaigner Marcus Rashford is funded in Newham by the Government for another three years.
For up-to-date information on Newham’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, please visit our Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) page.