Holiday Activities and Food annual report

DfE funding allocation of £813,840 for 2024 in Gateshead to fund Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) over the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays for benefits-related free school meal (FSM) recipients and vulnerable children.

The holiday clubs in Gateshead were delivered in 65 venues: 15 community organisations, 22 schools (including 4 secondary and 3 SEND-specific schools), 12 sports venues, 3 Arts and Theatre Groups, 4 Pop Ups, 5 Family Hub's, 2 refugee and asylum groups and 2 church organisations. 

27,286 places were delivered across the three programmes - Easter, Summer and Christmas.

In 2024, HAF funded over 100 educational/cultural/enriching visits for families including:

• a day at the beach
• a day in the woods
• ice skating
• museum visits
• cinema
• pantomime 
• art galleries
• ten pin bowling
• cooking

The programme was very popular and was well received by children and young people and their parents and carers. 

HAF Plus (Case Study)

Whilst the outcomes of HAF are excellent, quantitative data from the DfE shows that uptake amongst young people (11-16 year olds) is low, and qualitative data from HAF co-coordinators, holiday club leads, teachers and young people suggests that the HAF programme, in its current form, is not appealing to young people. The Healthy Living Lab at Northumbria University partnered with the Mayor's Fund for London, Gateshead Council, Leading Link and Northumberland Council, Street Games, Feeding Britain, and young people from four geographic areas across England to run a series of design sprints with the main aims of co-designing

a) four local HAF Plus frameworks and

b) a national HAF Plus framework that specifically meet the needs of young people.

This project not only captured the voices of young people but the co-design of local and national HAF+ frameworks was led by young people. Following the sprints, the HAF Plus framework is being rolled out across London (via Kitchen Social), Birmingham, Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland and North Tyneside local authorities. HAF leads and coordinators continue to undertake significant work and development of their HAF Plus frameworks by

a) ensuring that young people are active participants in the implementation and the evaluation of their HAF Plus framework,

b) ensuring that young people are represented on steering groups,

c) adopting new ways of working and partnering with local anchor organisations (for example universities, cultural organisations and businesses) and

d) working towards aligning and embedding HAF Plus within wider programmes and initiatives.

"Following on from the inspirational work of young people from Gateshead, in which they co-designed, with adult stakeholders, a very distinctive HAF Plus programme for young people, Gateshead Council, NUFC Foundation and Northumbria University began working on planning the implementation of the young people's designs by bringing together anchor institutions from across Gateshead/Newcastle with the aim of delivering a HAF Plus project across the summer 2024. The young people involved would manage their own independent programme of activities, make their own decisions on what activities to engage or attend. This would be facilitated by the HAFplus app and a Teenage HUB located in the Metrocentre, Gateshead. The HAF Plus offer will include a 28 day all zones Tyne and Wear travel pass that would enable the young people to independently travel to all the venues within Gateshead programme offer."  said Greta Defeyter, Professor of Developmental Psychology (Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing)

The activities:

This was supplemented with some online cookalongs and some sexual health advice which could be accessed via the resources side of the app.

The food offer was managed through vouchers held in and spent via the app.

The choices were:

• Grounded Kitchen - smoothie and poke bowl (choice of 4 protein options)
• Subway - sandwich, fruit juice or water and fruit leather
• Greggs - restricted to school food standards items as determined by the Northumbria University nutritional review

Northumbria University conducted a detailed review of the programme by speaking to providers, HAF co-ordinators and young people (opens new window).

The popularity of each activity was then used to guide which sessions to offer at Christmas 2024, Easter 2025 and Summer 2025.

beekeeping

Boxing group

Football

plants

Storytime at baltic

Football pop up

beekeeping

<

>

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•