Fun activities on offer for children at holiday clubs this Christmas

A range of Christmas holiday clubs have been organised in Richmondshire to enable children to learn new skills, socialise and access healthy food.

The county council’s FEASTive programme will see activity sessions and event days taking place in each North Yorkshire district over the holiday season.

In Richmondshire, the sessions include arts and crafts, sport and woodland crafts, play and cooking activities.

North Yorkshire County Council received funding to co-ordinate healthy holiday activities for children from the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

The funding recognises that school holidays can put additional pressures on family finances due to increased food and childcare costs and aims to provide children with activities which help them stay healthy, active and socially connected and allow them to develop new skills.

The sessions are open to all children and young people in North Yorkshire, but are free to those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. The sessions all include a free hot meal or packed lunch.The clubs will all be held with Covid-19 safety measures in place which will be appropriate for the different activity sessions and venues.

Eligible families have received an information pack, along with a booklet with ideas for activities and things to do over the school holidays.

The County Council commissioned North Yorkshire Together, a partnership between Rural Arts, North Yorkshire Sport and North Yorkshire Youth, to run the programme in the county under the banner of FEAST North Yorkshire. FEAST stands for ‘food, entertainment, arts and sport together’.

The FEAST North Yorkshire holiday scheme was first launched earlier this year, over the summer holidays, when 15,909 holiday clubs places were provided in the county.

County Councillor Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education and skills, said: “We know the pandemic has presented many mental, physical and financial difficulties for families, children and young people.

“To be able to offer children healthy meals, fun activities and chances to socialise and learn new skills is vitally important.

“We would like to thank all the providers who have signed up to FEAST North Yorkshire and to North Yorkshire Together for running the scheme.

“We received a lot of positive feedback from families who took part in the scheme over summer and know schemes like this can make a great difference to children and their families.”

For more details on activities in Richmondshire click here.

For more information on the scheme and activities elsewhere in North Yorkshire click here.