Sporting giants to provide Holiday Activity Clubs

Thousands of Nottingham children have benefitted from free holiday activity clubs each Summer, Easter, Christmas and October Half Term break since 2021.

Now, two of the city’s biggest names in sport, Nottingham Forest Community Trust and Trent Bridge Community Trust, will jointly hold the role of Lead Provider. This means the community arms of these two sporting giants will be working with Nottingham City Council to provide holiday activities for Nottingham’s children.

Background

Nottingham City Council has secured £1.8m from the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to provide Free Fun & Food holiday clubs for the 17,800 city pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) in the city.

At the holiday clubs – which are delivered by community groups, under the guidance of the Lead Providers – young people receive a free lunch, alongside a programme of activities focused on physical wellbeing, educa- tion and mental health.

Nottingham Forest Community Trust will yet again deliver the Free Fun and Food programme, working alongside Nottingham City Council and other local organisations to deliver high quality sporting and enrichment activities including a wide variety of sport, healthy exercise, and creative industry workshops for children and young adults aged between 6 and 16.

Trent Bridge Community Trust’s educational offering includes STEM lessons, a cooking academy, social media and social awareness training, and trips to landmarks around the City.

This is in addition to a range of physical activity and self-development opportunities, such as refereeing courses and dance classes. Emphasis has also been placed upon mental health, with trained professionals overseeing the wellbeing of those on the programme. Big names in City Sport

Councillor Cheryl Barnard, Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Schools, said: “Nottingham Forest and Trent Bridge are huge names in the sporting world. We are very proud to be working with the community arms of such celebrated sporting organisations.

“The opportunities these providers can bring to Nottingham’s children are truly fantastic and will surely inspire our young people to be healthy and active over the school holidays.

“But don’t worry if you’re not keen on sports, there will be arts, drama, music and all kinds of activities, so definitely something for all interests and in every area of the city.”

Nottingham Forest Community Trust Deputy Chief Executive Officer Calum Osborne said: “We’re delighted that the Trust will be delivering the HAF programme in 2023. This will be our third year working on the programme and we’re eager to continue the great momentum we’ve established by working with families, organisations and other partners across the city since 2021.”

“Our HAF delivery will provide a fully inclusive and accessible programme for all young people and we’re looking forward to offering a diverse range of activities and healthy meals.”

Mark Clifford, Community Projects Manager at Trent Bridge Community Trust, said: “We have worked really hard to expand our delivery at HAF, so that we have provisions for young people with a range of interests, sporting or otherwise.

“The atmosphere is incredibly positive because the attendees are enjoying themselves, but also taking something away, be it a qualification or new skill; they are using the time away from school to better themselves, and that is brilliant.

Parents can book places by visiting www. asklion.co.uk/funandfood where all Holiday Activity Clubs are listed before the holidays start.

There are a limited number of places available for children who aren’t eligible for FSM and these will be allocated on a first-comefirst-served basis.