Eligible children and young people across the Cotswolds can enjoy free activities this Christmas holiday
Cotswold District Council is working in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and local community organisation World Jungle to deliver another Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) for eligible children across the Cotswold district this winter.
With funding provided from the Department for Education, children in the Cotswold will have access to free activities during the Christmas holidays this year. Food vouchers are also being provided for children who are eligible for free school meals.
Cllr Jenny Forde, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Our previous HAF programmes have been a great success, so it’s fantastic that we are able to provide these activities again during the Christmas holidays. This winter is going to be especially hard as we face the rising cost of living meaning the programme is more important than ever. We want all of our families in the Cotswolds to feel supported during this time.
“Not only will our young people be able to stay active and engage in new activities during the school break, they’ll also be able to enjoy healthy, nutritious food too which we all know is important for health and wellbeing.”
The Winter Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme will run between 19 and 22 December. The programme, which has strict guidelines on eligibility, is only accessible for those children in school reception class and up to year eleven, who receive benefits-related free school meals.
However, using grant funding we are also able to run the Holiday Activity Programme (HAP). This programme of holiday activities is offered to all children between the ages of five and sixteen across the District, regardless of free school meal eligibility.
Cllr Forde continued: “I’m so pleased we’ve been able to secure the extra funding to run the HAP. All children and young people can benefit from this programme and that’s why it was so important for us to be able to run it again.
“Together with our local partners, we are able to offer activities to all children this Christmas. This means we can ensure more of our children are staying active over the holidays, keeping warm and developing a greater knowledge of health and nutrition. The Holiday Activity and Food Programme has something for everyone and I would encourage all parents to have a look at the events we have on offer.”
The winter programme of activities and events is set to allow young people to socialise with others of a similar age as they play, learn and develop their skills. There is a wide variety of activities to participate in such as sports camps, a circus show, Christmas crafts and even a visit from Santa himself!
The activity bookings open on 1 December. If you’d like to book your family onto an activity or event in the Cotswolds, please visit: https://www.haf.worldjungle.org.uk/
For parents or carers who would like more information, please visit https://www.haf.worldjungle.org.uk/ or email your questions to HAF@cotswold.gov.uk.
If any families do not have access to transport in order to get to activities they can request transport through Barnardo’s. Gloucestershire County Council will provide a helpline for families who are having difficulties with the booking system. Information and contact details for both these services are currently being finalised and will be on the County Council's website in due course.
Gloucestershire County Council are also providing food vouchers, £30 per eligible child for the entire two weeks this winter holiday.
If you are eligible and have already registered you do not need to register again but if you wish to update your existing information you can do so by emailing childrensfund@gloucestershire.gov.uk
If you are eligible and have not yet registered for holiday free school meals vouchers please register here.
You must register by 6 December.
Vouchers will be sent out to families by email on 13 December.