WILTSHIRE Council’s holiday activity and food programme, FUEL, is back for the Easter holidays following the success of the activities delivered last year across the county.
FUEL (Food, Unity, Energy and Laughter) is funded by the Department for Education and provides children who are eligible for the programme with free access to activity, food and nutritional education during school holidays.
Wiltshire Council will be working with a range of community organisations to provide free activities, nutritional meals and food workshops for children eligible for the programme. Activities include multi-sports, robotics, animal care, gymnastics, forest school, performing arts and creative arts.
From Monday 8th April to Thursday 11th April, there is a forest school taking place in Brokerswood near Westbury supported by the Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team, a multi activity day taking place at the Melksham Community Campus, a tech camp taking place in Warminster and more events taking place in Trowbridge.
The following organisations will be providing activities across the county this Easter: ActiveMe360, Dayla Equine Assisted Learning and Monksley Ltd, Revolution Performing Arts Ltd, ElevationX, The Pound Arts Trust, PH Camps, Next Thing Education, West Wilts Gymnastics, Sam Ivin Photography, Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team, UK Futures, Magna Learning Partnership and Seeds4Success.
In addition to the above activities, the council will once again be offering provision specifically for individuals with SEND. These activities will take place in Corsham and Salisbury.
Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, cabinet member for public health said, “It is really positive that we have once again been allocated government funding to deliver the FUEL programme in 2024 during the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays.
“We know that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families because of increased costs. FUEL aims to tackle the triple inequalities of holiday hunger, physical inactivity, and social isolation. It provides free of charge activities and food for children and young people who are of school age up to the end of Year 11 and eligible for the programme, and they all have a lot of fun together.”
Cllr Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children’s services, education and skills said, “I am delighted that the FUEL programme will continue to provide children with opportunities to have the best start in life during 2024.
“In 2023, nearly 18,500 meals were provided for just over 2,000 children attending FUEL activities. We hope that those eligible will take advantage of the programme and that it helps as many families as possible at a particularly busy time of the year.”
Bookings can be made and managed through the council’s centralised booking system. Registration will remain open until 27th March.
For more information about the programme and how to request a place, people should visit https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/FUEL-programme
