Programme Supporting Thousands in Summer 2020
9 September 2020
The Leeds Community Foundation and GiveBradford Healthy Holidays programme provided essential support for children and families across Leeds and Bradford during the school holidays.
The fund aims to alleviate holiday hunger for vulnerable schoolchildren by providing healthy food , alongside active and engaging activities.
In Leeds alone during July 2020: 1,205 children were supported, and a total of 9,594 portions of food provided (either as a packed lunch, or as a food portion within a food parcel or hamper). 1,920 activity packs were delivered to households.
Within the same period in Bradford: 2236 children were supported.
The Summer 2020 programme had the additional challenge of Covid-19, with many groups having to adjust their activities to adhere to social distancing regulations and in most cases, projects having provided support since Easter.
Prior to the Summer, the Foundation distributed £169,280 to 32 organisations in Leeds and £204,500 to 42 groups in Bradford in response to Covid. The funding was used to provide relief to at risk children and families- providing food parcels and essential resources.
The Summer programme saw a wide range of activities, such as Catch Leeds Educational Farm, DAZL providing a variety of fitness classes and St Johns Church of England Primary School delivering hundreds of food hampers in Bradford.
Abi Young, Volunteer Officer at TCV Skelton Grange, said: “The support from LCF has been invaluable, we’ve been able to get kids outside in nature, socialising and learning new things. It has been great to see children having lots of fun after facing an abrupt end to their school year and a difficult summer following Theovid-19 lockdown.”
Tony Macaluso, Co-Director of Chapel FM Arts Centre, spoke about the variety of support they were able to provide as a result of Healthy Holidays funding.
“In this summer unlike any other, Chapel FM Arts Centre in Seacroft was delighted to get out and about with our youth radio and arts participants thanks to support from Healthy Holidays.”
“This summer we launched an adventurous new podcast called Red Kite that reveals how young people from Leeds see and hear the world in unexpected ways. Leeds Community Foundation and Healthy Holidays were fantastic in supporting this post-lockdown project.”
Take a look below at some of the brilliant support a number of groups have been providing as a result of Healthy Holidays Funding