The TFP Foundation joins The Food Foundation and Marcus Rashford MBE to support the 2021 Holiday Activities and Food Programme
On 16th June, The Food Foundation called on parents to sign their children up for the Government's expanded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme this summer, with the support of Henry Dimbleby MBE and Marcus Rashford MBE.
The TFP Foundation were delighted to fund the creation of the film to drive awareness of the HAF scheme with parents, teachers and local authorities – watch the video below.
The programme, backed by the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, offers fun and food for children and young people across England during the school holidays. The holiday club places are free to those who receive free school meals, with children and young people of all ages and backgrounds welcome.
The holiday programme is targeted to support children and young people who have been most affected by the pandemic, offering a safe and supportive environment where they can learn, be active and eat well, as well as make new friends locally.
Local coordinators will provide a set of fun activities ensuring children can enjoy and learn new skills, as well as healthy and tasty meals, teaching children about food and nutrition in fun and active ways.
Charles & Wayne said 'The HAF Programme fits perfectly with what the TFP Foundation is all about, using food as a force for good and to improve the relationship that children and young people have with food, which in turn drives health and education. School holidays can be a tough time for some kids and families, instead of it being a time of fun and family, for some it's a time of increased costs in food and childcare. Children may not be having the hot school meal they would have in term time or structured activities, which in turn leads to 'unhappy and unhealthy' holidays' with lower levels of nutrition, physical activity and social isolation. This is the gap that the HAF Programme is trying to fill'.
Last summer's pilot programme supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities. However, this is the first year that expanded holiday clubs will be available to children across the whole of England. They will run this summer and then during the Christmas holidays too, a move which has been supported by Marcus Rashford, The Food Foundation and the Child Food Poverty Taskforce.
Parents of eligible children can sign their children up for their local summer programme and are encouraged to find out what's on in their area via their local council website or by searching online. Information about the programme can be found here - https://haf2021.org/
Programme providers can find a range of supportive resources and materials via https://www.hafalliance.org/