Gateshead Council to continue to #BrightentheDay for even more children in Gateshead into 2025
We have been awarded Government funding for a further three years to provide free activities and meals for children during the school holidays.
Funding of almost £815,000 per year has been secured for the next three years from the Department for Education's Holiday Activities and Food Programme. This will allow us to continue to provide an extended programme of healthy food and activities during Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays until Christmas 2025.
We are planning on building on the success of the current #Brightentheday programme. The funding will allow more than 60 different organisations across the borough to provide an expected 25,000 places in 2022 for children including community groups, schools and sports clubs.
Councillor Catherine Donovan, Deputy Leader of Gateshead Council said:
"We are extremely pleased, once again, to be part of the Government's Holiday Activities and Food Programme. This programme has operated successfully in Gateshead for seven years. Being able to extend our offer through to Christmas 2025 to allow the most vulnerable children to be able to access free activities and enjoy even more healthy and nutritious meals during the school holidays is fantastic.
"We are delighted with the plans in place so far and securing this funding now means we can now plan and develop our future programme. We will continue to work with our partners and the wider community to offer our best #BrightentheDay programme to date."
During the forthcoming summer holidays, plans are in place to offer families in Gateshead, who qualify for free school meals, are vulnerable, or would benefit from attending or are referred, a range of events and activities including:
- Dance and performing arts
- Arts and crafts at the BALTIC and local libraries
- Football, rugby, cricket, athletics and tennis
- Gardening and bushcraft
- Indoor fun with bouncy castles and assault courses
- Outdoor fun with archery, climbing, snowtubing, cycling and orienteering
- Picnics and family trips
We have been awarded Government funding for a further three years to provide free activities and meals for children during the school holidays.
Funding of almost £815,000 per year has been secured for the next three years from the Department for Education's Holiday Activities and Food Programme. This will allow us to continue to provide an extended programme of healthy food and activities during Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays until Christmas 2025.
We are planning on building on the success of the current #Brightentheday programme. The funding will allow more than 60 different organisations across the borough to provide an expected 25,000 places in 2022 for children including community groups, schools and sports clubs.
Councillor Catherine Donovan, Deputy Leader of Gateshead Council said:
"We are extremely pleased, once again, to be part of the Government's Holiday Activities and Food Programme. This programme has operated successfully in Gateshead for seven years. Being able to extend our offer through to Christmas 2025 to allow the most vulnerable children to be able to access free activities and enjoy even more healthy and nutritious meals during the school holidays is fantastic.
"We are delighted with the plans in place so far and securing this funding now means we can now plan and develop our future programme. We will continue to work with our partners and the wider community to offer our best #BrightentheDay programme to date."
During the forthcoming summer holidays, plans are in place to offer families in Gateshead, who qualify for free school meals, are vulnerable, or would benefit from attending or are referred, a range of events and activities including:
- Dance and performing arts
- Arts and crafts at the BALTIC and local libraries
- Football, rugby, cricket, athletics and tennis
- Gardening and bushcraft
- Indoor fun with bouncy castles and assault courses
- Outdoor fun with archery, climbing, snowtubing, cycling and orienteering
- Picnics and family trips
