Coventry City Council is delighted to hear that the Government has committed to funding the city’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for another three years.
The Government has confirmed £600 million is being invested nationally to extend the Holiday Activities and Food programme for another three years, seeing a £200m investment for each of the next three years.
Whilst Coventry awaits confirmation of the agreed allocation to the Council, programme organisers are expecting close to the £1.6m allocated to deliver this year’s programme. Coventry Building Society has also contributed £50k to support the programme.
The HAF programme supports children from lower-income families by providing free meals and enriching activities during the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. It helps close the development gap, boosts confidence and social skills, and nationally has already reached over half a million children in the past year.
It is estimated that the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for school children from Reception Year to Year 11, helps parents to make a saving of over £300 a year.
The HAF Summer programme in the city offered over 28,000 sessions with over 4,000 children and young people attending this summer. Over 50 different venues and partner organisations took part in the programme.
Cabinet Member, Education and Skills, Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu said:
“It’s great news that the Government have made this huge funding commitment to ensure the continuation of this much-needed programme, not just in Coventry but across the country.
“Whilst we await confirmation of the exact funding allocation to Coventry, the announcement provides the opportunity to develop our Easter 2026 offer, develop the next phase of the programme and provides stability to fund activities going forward.
“Here in Coventry, we have a proud record of supporting thousands of families and young people to take part in the activity programme, which not only provides great activities but ensures that no child goes hungry.
“The programme also makes a big difference to the confidence of the children, and their parents too, attending the activities, which is very important.
“When you hear that support for families attending HAF programmes can equate to a saving around £300 per year, you understand the excellent support this programme provides for our communities.”
This summer’s programme offered a massive range of opportunities from sports and arts, through to enjoyable practical sessions such as cooking, plumbing and coding through to trips to local cultural venues and even trips to the seaside!
A Government announcement on Coventry’s allocation for the next three years is expected soon.