The Holiday Activity and Food Programme is back again this school summer holiday!
Cotswold District Council in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and local community organisation World Jungle, will be delivering another Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) for eligible children across the Cotswold district this summer.
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, said: “This is the third year of the Holiday Activity and Food Programme and I’m so pleased we’ve been able to continue running it in partnership with World Jungle and the County Council.
“It is so important to offer this support to families in the Cotswolds, now more than ever with the cost of living crisis we are facing. The summer holidays can be a financial strain on many and by offering free activities and food we hope to provide that support to those families who need it most.”
The Summer Holiday and Activity Food (HAF) programme will be running from 26 July to 31 August during the summer school holiday and will include a range of activities such as horse riding, holiday camps, adventure sports at the Cotswold Water Park, tickets to Cotswold Falconry, art and crafts, and much more!
The programme, which has strict guidelines on eligibility, is only accessible for those who are in reception up to year 11, and receive benefits-related free school meals. There are limited referral options for those families who do not meet the criteria.
However using additional funding we are also able to run the Holiday Activity Programme (HAP). This programme of free holiday activities is offered to all children between the ages of five and sixteen across the district, regardless of free school meal eligibility.
To sign up to the Children’s Activity Booking system: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/haf/
The activity bookings are now open. If you’d like to book your family onto an activity or event in the Cotswolds, please visit: https://www.haf.worldjungle.org.uk/
Family support is also available through our Community Connectors, Bloodhound Education, as part of the Summer Holiday Activity and Food Programme 2023. They are on hand to help with booking activities, organising transport to attend activities and signposting families to other agencies where a need has been identified. To get in touch with Bloodhound Education, please email accounts@bloodhoundeducation.com or phone 0208 150 3767 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am - 2:30pm).
We will be offering a number of food hamper deliveries again this summer, working with the Coop Midcounties supermarket and Cotswold Veg Box to support our families. Register for a food hamper: https://cotswolddistrict.coordinate.cloud/project/45763