Birmingham's holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is providing thousands of children with balanced, nutritional meals and enriching activities this summer, as families continue to face the cost of living crisis. Pam Noël, the food and nutrition lead for the programme and a member of the charity StreetGames, said: "If they don't get a balanced, nutritional meal as part of HAF funding, we know they're unlikely to get it outside of that because of all the challenges families have got."
Five years of support for Birmingham's children
Pam Noël has played a key role in keeping thousands of children happy and healthy over the school holidays for the last five years. StreetGames, a youth-driven charity, works in partnership with Birmingham City Council's food system team to deliver healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places for low-income families.
This is the fifth year StreetGames has been helping to provide support for Birmingham's children and their parents. Pam estimated that around 26,000 children at 300 sites will have been helped by the end of this summer. She noted an increase in attendees over that five-year period, saying: "I think there [has been] an increase [in attendees] over that time."
Food and nutrition at the heart of the programme
Pam emphasised the crucial role of food within the HAF programme. "For me and for us in Birmingham, food is a really, really important part of the HAF programme," she said. "We always want a high nutritional meal [for the children] because these young people deserve that."
Each session lasts at least four hours, with a lunch provided for the children. The programme also offers kitchen guidance at different hubs, focusing on promoting 'empowerment' over food choices in a "hands-on" approach with food. Pam added that the sessions can help to "challenge some of their [kids] food choices that might not be in line with a healthy, balanced diet, but just in a conversational way."
Targeting areas with highest demand
Families of children aged five to 16 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals can apply to attend the sessions throughout the holidays. The programme targets areas with the highest demand. Pam explained: "Ladywood has quite high demand. In terms of free school meal children, we know what the percentages are in schools in each of the districts. So, for example, there'll be significantly more sessions available in Ladywood, Perry Barr, Yardley, east Birmingham, than there is in, say, Sutton Coldfield, just because that's what the demographics say."
Every project at a hub is different and can range from sports activities to arts and crafts. Pam shared that the HAF programme not only supports young Brummies in need, but also their parents and guardians. She said "financial pressures" are a significant weight on many parents, so knowing there is a space which can provide children with a "lot of variety of activities" can be of great support.
"Everyone thinks it's just a holiday programme," Pam said. "But actually, the benefits are really far-reaching from social connection for everybody, opportunity to access different things. Even things like self-esteem, self confidence in learning and doing different things that they've haven't been able to do before."
