The Newcastle Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, known locally as ‘Newcastle’s Best Holiday Ever’, is designed to address the ‘holiday experience gap’ for children and young people from low-income households.
Following the successful national pilot in 2021, the Department for Education committed over £200m per year over the next three financial years for the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF).
Newcastle City Council has appointed StreetGames to coordinate and deliver six weeks of free holiday club provision that includes healthy food and enriching activities during Easter, summer and winter for children aged 4-16 who are eligible for benefit-related free school meals.
The Newcastle HAF programme, known locally as ‘Newcastle’s Best Holiday Ever’, is designed to address the ‘holiday experience gap’ where children from low-income households are:
- Less likely to access organised out-of-school activities
- Likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in relation to nutrition and physical health
- Likely to experience social isolation
Aims of the Programme
Newcastle’s Best Holiday Ever supports children and young people who are eligible for free school meals, and is designed to ensure participants:
- Eat healthily over the school holidays
- Increase activity levels during the school holidays
- Take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character and well-being along with their wider educational attainment
- Have a safe environment to go to and don’t become socially isolated
- Expand their knowledge of health and nutrition
- Become more engaged with school and other local services
We also want to ensure that the families who participate in this programme:
- Develop their understanding of nutrition and food budgeting
- Are signposted to other information and support on health, employment, and education
