- Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) will provide 2,300 places per day over 24 days of provision in Salford
- Programme funded through The Department for Education award of £1,375,560 to Salford City Council
- Free to eligible families in Salford this Easter, summer and Christmas
Salford City Council’s Holiday Activities and Food programme has launched this week for young people aged four to 16 ahead of the Easter holidays, scheduled to run from 07 to 25 April 2025. The scheme provides free fun and healthy meals to children eligible for free school meals, as well as children who are at risk of food insecurity and meet specific criteria.
The Easter extravaganza has been funded through The Department for Education award of £1,375,560 to Salford City Council, which will provide 2,300 places per day over 24 days of provision (four at Easter, sixteen at summer and four at Christmas). Free to eligible families, Salford residents can see what’s available and book a place for the upcoming Easter holidays at www.salford.gov.uk/HAF.
The council has partnered with local community and voluntary organisations and is working with trusted and experienced catering company Citywide, who will play a pivotal role in delivering this large-scale operation. In addition to providing meals during activities, they will prepare home-cooked food boxes to support families. With their logistical expertise, they are committed to ensuring no child goes hungry during school holidays.
The programme has been designed to combine fun, learning and healthy meals with activities ranging from sports, music, arts and crafts and theatre trips. The 2024 Christmas programme saw 1,900 bookings and 81% attendance, which included provision of 1,700 meals and 1,533 take and make boxes for families to cook at home.
As part of Salford City Council’s vision to create a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city for all, one of the council’s Corporate Plan priorities for 2024 to 2028 is to become a UNICEF Child Friendly City, which is fully aligned with the objectives that the HAF Programme aims to achieve.
Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services at Salford City Council said: “It’s great to see this programme returning for Easter, following a successful scheme at Christmas. This initiative is vital in fostering community links and partnerships that address the need for support to families during the holidays and creating meaningful experiences for the young people of Salford.
“With research showing that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families, free holiday programmes like HAF can have a positive impact on children and young people by providing stability, structure and support whilst having fun, healthy food and physical activity.”
According to the Department for Education, the HAF programme has provided 10.7 million HAF days to children and young people in the UK since 2022.
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- Date published
- Wednesday 12 March 2025
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