New fund to ease extra financial pressure for families during school holidays
Many families in the borough, especially those on low income, find the school holidays, particularly in the long summer break, a financial strain.
As such Telford & Wrekin Council is to invest £50,000 into a scheme to help these families by working with partners to provide activities and healthy meals for children during the school holidays.
This builds on a successful trial last year as part of the Telford 50 Legacy fund and will make this support more widely available.
This will look to expand on the scheme which last year helped to offer a range of activities such as sports, arts, craft, cooking for children in partnership with five community groups across the borough.
Details of how the council plans to work with community groups to run the next phase of community-based activities will be published shortly.
Cllr Paul Watling, cabinet member for Children and Adults Early Help and Support, said: “During the school holidays, there are extra costs for families to provide meals and activities for their children which some people simply can’t afford.
“Telford Crisis Support, who run the borough’s main food bank, say they see an increase in referrals in the holidays, underlining how school holidays put some families in a very difficult financial position.
“With this extra funding we’ll be seeking to build on the success of last year’s trial and we hope that working with a range of partners we can create something with a really lasting impact.
This initiative is one a number of schemes funded by the one-off £3.6 million fund following changes to the Council’s finances including a one-off VAT refund.
These include an additional £1m for Pride in Our High Streets, £1m to regenerate some of the borough’s older estates, £500k to tackle issues on two of Telford’s biggest new housing estates, £300k to help improve public transport and £100k to improve rights of way in the borough.
Anyone organisation or group wanting to find out more about this can contact 01952 382133 or email communityparticipationteam@telford.gov.uk
