Colchester United Football in the Community (CUFITC) received £20,330 funding to support 798 children across four sites with healthy food and fun activities during Christmas half term.
The programme was free to attend and targeted those on benefit based free school meals and working families.
ActivAte is the Holiday Activity and Food programme, run by Active Essex Foundation in conjunction with Essex County Council and on behalf of the Department for Education. The scheme is delivered by a number of trusted local partners, of which CUFITC are one of.
On the final day of delivery Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Communities, was joined by the Children and Families Minister, Will Quince MP, at CUFITC ActivAte camp, hosted at Colchester Academy secondary school in greenstead.
The Government recognise the benefits of the School Holiday Clubs for young people, evidence has shown that they can have a positive impact on children’s well-being by providing consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities, healthy food, education on the preparation of food and they also demonstrate the importance of local partnership working.
Councillor Louise McKinlay said, “Essex County Council has been proud to support thousands of local children through our ActiVate Holiday Camps which provide youngsters across Essex with healthy meals and activities during the school holidays. There is a rich variety of different camps across Essex, with varying activities. As the Cabinet Member for this area, it has been great to visit many of the camps, including Colchester Academy, and see the fantastic work they are doing.”
Upon visiting the CUFITC ActiVate Camp, Children and Families Minister Will Quince MP noted, “It was great to visit Colchester Academy in my constituency to see the Holiday activities and food programme in action and I was very impressed. It was great to see so many young people enjoying their time at the camp and I am delighted that Essex County Council has taken the initiative even further by funding additional places for working families.”
CUFITC Sports Participation Lead, Joe Hart mentioned, ‘It was another fantastic opportunity for us to work with Active Essex Foundation to provide primary and secondary school children in Colchester and Harwich with an enriched programmes alongside hot meals throughout December half term. The feedback we have received so far from Children and parents has been brilliant and we look forward to working with Active Essex Foundation over the next few half terms’.