Watch as Together for Children Sunderland looks to tackle holiday hunger and cost of living crisis with summer activity programme

Holiday periods can be a challenging time for low income or out of work families to not only keep their children entertained but also fed; a situation which can lead to holiday hunger for hundreds of children in Sunderland.

It’s a particularly difficult situation for families with children entitled to free school meals (FSM) who now have to find additional money to pay for six weeks worth of daily additional lunches.

It’s a situation which has been exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis and escalation in food prices.

To help combat the problem of holiday hunger, Together for Children Sunderland are running over 100 free different activity groups across the city - including a nutritious daily meal - for FSM children and those identified as vulnerable or disadvantaged.

Together for Children’s HAF strategic lead Jenifer Usher said: “It’s so important our young people get the opportunity to have a nutritious and healthy meal during holiday periods.

“With the cost of living crisis, a lot more families are in need of support, particularly over the summer holidays, which can be such a long time to provide those extra meals.

“During the Easter holidays, only 10% of FSM children took up the option of the HAF programme, which does leave you concerned as to whether some of those remaining children are going hungry.

“We obviously don’t have final figures for the summer uptake, but it looks to be a lot higher.”

During the sessions the children also learn about healthy eating and how to prepare healthy meals - a skill they can “hopefully take with them back home”.

One of the four day per week HAF sessions for the city’s primary school age children is taking place at Dubmire Academy in Houghton-le-Spring.

The sessions are being run by CIC Active Families North East.

Business and Community manager Wendy Cook said: “A lot of parents don’t have the disposable income to keep their children entertained over the holidays and so these free sessions are vital.

“They also help to ensure disadvantaged children don’t miss out on experiences they may not otherwise get.

“We do get a lot of children arriving to sessions hungry and a lot of families would struggle to find the money to pay for these extra meals during holiday periods.”

During the sessions the children play a range of traditional sports and games, take part in arts and crafts workshops and can experience trips to the cinema, beach and local attractions.

Using electronic devices are banned from the sessions and there is a key focus on children “being active and healthy”.

Jenifer said: “Last year (2023) Sunderland had the highest childhood obesity rates in the country. It’s vital that children learn how to look after themselves and be healthy.

“It’s also important to get children communicating with each other and developing their social skills, particularly after the Covid years when many of them had long periods of social isolation.”

Wendy added: “Everything we do is about the children being active and running around. We also learn about healthy eating through activities such as the sugar swap game.”

The children taking part in the sessions at Dubmire Academy certainly seem to be enjoying the experience.

“Leah Atkinson, 10, said: “If I wasn’t here then I would just be in the house all day doing nothing. It’s really important to be fit and active to be able to run more and do more stuff.”

Jacob Harris, nine, added: “I’ve enjoyed doing the football and the arts and crafts.”

The sessions take place over four days each week during the summer holidays at venues across the city for children aged four to 16, with the children divided into appropriate age groups.

Supported sessions are also offered for young people with SEND.

You can find out more about the sessions taking place, see if your child is eligible, and enrol them on a free place by checking out the Together for Children Sunderland webpage.