Watch as scheme looks to tackle holiday hunger and keep Sunderland children active and healthy over the summer

Keep Active North East and Together for Children (TfC) Sunderland have teamed up to prevent children going hungry this summer and to ensure they stay healthy and active.

As part of the City Council’s Wear Here 4 Summer Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme around 250 children from across the city are attending daily sessions at the Mind and Wellbeing Hub where they can enjoy activities including dance, fencing, golf, cricket and assault courses.

The children also get the chance to take part in trips to venues such as Washington Wetland Centre and Down at the Farm in Houghton as well as enjoying arts and craft workshops and healthy cooking classes.

The daily sessions are free to children from disadvantaged backgrounds or “families that are struggling”. Children also benefit from enjoying a hot healthy meal, which today, August 2, was chicken curry.

The meals can be a vital lifeline for children who are entitled to free school meals during term time with many parents struggling to cover the additional holiday costs of having to provide five weekly additional meals for their children.

The food charity Fare Share estimates around three million children nationally are at risk of going hungry over the school holidays, a situation exacerbated by inflated food prices which currently stands at 17%.

TfC HAF lead Wendy Coughlan said: “The six weeks holiday can be such an expensive time for families, both in terms of keeping children entertained and feeding them.

“It’s really expensive to feed children over the holidays and this ensures they are getting that daily meal they would normally get in school.”

Keep Active North East Founder Colin Dagg added: “We get feedback from the schools who say they can tell by their appearance which children have attended these sessions and have continued to eat a nutritious meal and aren’t malnourished.

“Sunderland has rising levels of obesity and so it’s important that meals are healthy and we also run cookery sessions to teach the children about nutrition and healthy eating.

“They also get the opportunity to try new foods.”

The sessions also give children the chance to develop both physically and socially.

Colin added: “It’s vital that children are active to keep fit and healthy over the summer holidays. If they weren’t here then a lot would be at home, probably playing on their X boxes.

“It also gives them the chance to try new sports and hopefully find something they like or are good at.

“A lot of the children also develop new friendships, social skills and gain confidence. You can really see a big difference in some children from how they start the programme compared to how they finish.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Archie Thoburn, 11, who said: “I’ve really enjoyed it so far, particularly the football and basketball.

“It’s important to keep fit and healthy and if I wasn’t here then I would probably be in bed on my X box.”

Wendy added: “It also ensures children are school ready at the end of the holidays. Six weeks is a long time and continuing to have that daily structure makes it easier to slip back into their school routine.”

The initiative certainly seems to have the baking of the children taking part.

Alexis McIver, seven, said: “I’ve really enjoyed it and liked the stuck in the middle warm up game.

“I was shy when I first came but I’m more confident now and have made lots of new friends.”

Lylie Read, 10, added: “The best bit has been playing dodge ball and if I wasn’t here I would be stuck in the house.”

TfC are running Wear Here 4 Summer programmes at 46 providers across the city with the capacity to provide activities for up to 38,344 children.

Details about all 91 programmes and how to sign up can be found on the TfC website HAF webpage.

Keep Active North East have some spaces on their remaining sessions. For further details email [email protected]

Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Learning and Skills, Councillor Linda Williams said: “All parents and families will be very aware of the cost of living crisis and how it is impacting on them and their children.

"This might be from the grocery bill or helping to entertain and keep young people active during the summer school break.

"School holidays can put pressures on families and there is research that some children and young people can experience a ‘holiday gap’.

"This to say that some, not all, might be less active or less likely to access organised out-of-school activities, and perhaps have an ‘unhealthy holiday’ in terms of nutrition and physical health, and possibly experience more social isolation.

"What we’re doing is helping families out. Younger people at events are mixing with their friends, many will have more time to enjoy their favourite sports or activities, or trying new ones, and they’re also receiving more tips and advice on leading healthier lifestyles.”