Bolton Council has agreed a £1.5m programme to support local families during the school holidays in 2021, starting with the Easter break.
Using funding from the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, children receiving free school meals will be offered healthy food alongside a wide range of fun and engaging activities.
A total of £1,487,820 will fund the programme across the Easter, Summer and Christmas breaks in 2021.
The school holidays can be a challenging time for many families with the additional cost of both food and childcare.
This means some children are less likely to benefit from out-of-school activities, to spend time with their friends and to enjoy a balanced nutritious diet.
Bolton Council is working with partners in the charity and volunteer sector to establish a network of free holiday clubs to support families across the borough.
The clubs will offer physical activities, opportunities to develop new skills and provide nutritional information for both children and parents.
We want pupils in Bolton to return to school after holidays healthy, confident and ready to learn.
Activities will be entirely optional, and all eligible families will still receive £40 of meal vouchers this Easter whether or not they choose to access the holiday clubs.
Bolton Council has recently used part of a £1.1m COVID-19 Winter Support Grant to provide meal vouchers to families during the Christmas 2020 holidays and the February half term.
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said:
“I am proud that we have been able to help Bolton families during previous school holidays through the meal voucher scheme.
“The new holiday programme we have agreed will go a step further, offering a variety of enriching activities so children do not miss out on the opportunity to develop and learn new skills.
“There are many exceptional community groups offering support outside of term time and we look forward to working even more closely with them to benefit those who need it most.”
Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Anne Galloway, said:
“We want every child in Bolton to get the best possible start in life and we recognise that some pupils can fall behind during school holidays.
“After so much time away from the classroom this year, we want pupils in Bolton to return to school after holidays healthy, confident and ready to learn.”