Actively feeding the minds of tomorrow, delivered by Active Tameside.
The Holiday Activity and Food Programme (Fuel4Fun) has been supporting children and families in the school holidays since 2019. Here is everything you need to know about the programme and how it could help you and your child during the school holidays.
The HAF programme provides healthy food and enriching activities to children and young people, with free places available for those on benefit related free school meals during some of the school holidays.
The provision includes the Easter break and will also run throughout Summer and Winter school holidays in 2022. The scheme is funded by the Government and is delivered by local councils, and has been running since 2019, with an expansion to all local councils in England in 2021. This year over £200 million will again be made available to councils across the country.
This programme builds on our previous successful pilots: In 2020, it operated across 17 local authorities, supporting around 50,000 children. Last summer (2021) more than 600,000 children took up a free, government-funded place at a HAF (fuel4fun) clubs.
School holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some families due to increasing food and childcare costs and reduced incomes. It can mean that families struggle to provide food and activities for children.
Good nutrition is essential to children’s health, development, and their ability to fulfil their potential in life. This funding helps ensure that eligible children have access to healthy food and as well as fun, enriching activities in order to keep them active throughout the school holidays.
Families who take part in the programme will also receive a food hamper delivered to the family home, containing enough food for a family of four over five nights.
Most children who took part in Tameside Fuel4Fun last summer (2021) recorded benefits to their physical and mental health, higher levels of participation in activities and increased social interaction with their peers. More than three-quarters (77%) of children surveyed also said that attending clubs increased their confidence and ability to socially interact with others.
HAF (Fuel4Fun) is funded by Government and run by councils who help deliver the holiday clubs.
Active Tameside in partnership with Tameside council coordinate the delivery working with other organisations to provide clubs for children locally.
Clubs will offer engaging and enriching activities such as arts, sports, drama, and music. Which all provide opportunities to develop and strengthen skills and knowledge.
Activities on offer can also include trips and other valuable learning experiences. Clubs must also provide healthy free meals, nutritional education, and physical activities daily.
HAF is primarily for children in primary or secondary school who receive benefits-related free school meals, though councils do have some flexibility to provide free access to other children.
We also encourage councils to make the holiday clubs available to any children not eligible for and in receipt of free school meals, who can pay to attend.
We want all children who attend the programme to benefit from:
• Enriching Activities – learning new things and having fun.
• Good food and being active – eating a tasty and nutritious meal, learning more about food and nutrition and being physically active
• Meeting people – socialising and enjoying being with friends.
