Grants now available to provide holiday clubs in Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin Council are encouraging organisations to apply for a grant to run holiday clubs in the borough during the summer and at Christmas.
The community-run holiday clubs will help children in the borough stay healthy and active during the school holidays.
Each holiday club will provide young people with nutritious meals, fun activities and the chance to spend time with each other.
The holiday clubs are part of Telford & Wrekin Council's Happy Healthy and Active Holidays scheme.
The scheme aims to help low-income families cope with the financial pressures of the school holidays by providing free places at local holiday clubs for children and young people on benefit related free school meals.
An £841,555 fund provided by the Department for Education is helping the council to build upon its existing Holiday Activities and Eat Well programme, making it borough-wide.
The programme will increase the number of holiday clubs that can provide positive and fun activities along with a healthy meal.
Each of the clubs will be organised with Coronavirus restrictions in mind.
Councillor Eileen Callear, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Visitor Economy, said: "I would like to encourage community groups, parish councils, any organisation really, to consider bidding for this.
"It's not just people who can deliver these holiday clubs or those that can provide healthy meals that we want to hear from. We want to hear from groups and organisations that can provide fun and physical activities, such as sports, arts and crafts, or cooking.
"With our help, community groups have provided holiday activities and nutritious meals to children for several years now.
"I am delighted that we are now making this project borough-wide and putting on even more holiday clubs than ever before.
"Through Happy Healthy and Active Holidays, organisations will able to provide games and activities for children of different ages, from sports and crafts to cooking.
"That way, we can then support low-income families in our community, who otherwise find the school holidays a struggle.
"These holiday clubs help keep children entertained, eating healthy meals and getting ready for the start of the new school term."
Organisations interested in applying for a grant to run holiday clubs in Telford and Wrekin should visit: http://www.telford.gov.uk/hhahgrant
