Children and young people eligible for free school meals in Somerset will once again be offered free fun activities over the school holidays this winter.
Young people aged 5 – 16 years will have the opportunity to take part in enriching physical activities and be provided with a nutritious meal and information about eating healthily, as part of the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme initiative.
Somerset County Council will again team up with Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) to deliver the programme across the County during December, following the previous success of the programme during the Easter and Summer school holidays.
The summer saw a total of 5,852 individual children participating, with the majority attending for an average of six days, equating to more than 35,000-day places attended over the course of the summer holidays. Each activity day included four hours of fun activities as well as a nutritious meal and information about eating healthily.
Cllr Frances Nicholson, Somerset County Council Lead Member for Children’s Services said: “Thanks to good collaborative work between SASP, the Council, and various partners, Somerset’s Holiday Activity and Food programme has been a resounding success with very strong outcomes for bookings and attendance.
“The programme has already proved to be popular, with children, parents and providers all giving positive feedback, and so I am pleased that the offer is returning for the winter school holidays for all eligible families.”
SASP Chief Executive Officer Jane Knowles said: “We know what a positive impact the summer had on so many young people and their families, so we are delighted to offer a full and varied winter programme too. There is lots to choose from across the county for our children and young people to add some activity and food sparkle to the holiday period.”
The winter school holidays will see most of the delivery across Somerset from Monday 20th December to Thursday 23rd December 2021. However, a select few providers will be providing activities and opportunities during the week commencing Monday 27th December 2021.
There will be 25 providers and organisations delivering over the winter holidays at different locations across Somerset and bookings are now live on the website. Bookings can be made through the Playwaze centralised booking system which will require the unique booking reference provided by the child’s school.
All details on what’s on offer, the locations of holiday clubs and days operating can be found at www.sasp.co.uk/happy-healthy-holidays
Anyone in Somerset who needs support with access to food or medicines, or emotional and financial support, can call the Somerset Coronavirus Helpline on 0300 790 6275, seven days a week, 8am to 6pm, or visit the CCS Village Agents website https://somersetagents.org.