Sheffield City Trust partner with Sheffield City Council to help deliver £2.7m health and wellbeing initiative for children
Sheffield City Trust is working with Sheffield City Council to deliver a national programme aiming to help children lead a healthy lifestyle this summer.
As part of the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) the Trust is helping children have a fun-filled summer by supporting Sheffield Healthy Holidays – a scheme offering free activities throughout the summer holidays designed to encourage healthy eating and exercise.
This includes giving around 400 children the opportunity to learn how to swim at free lessons held at the Trust’s venues across the city - including Ponds Forge in the city centre, iceSheffield in Attercliffe and Concord Sports Centre in Shiregreen. Children taking part will also be given a starter bag which includes swimming gear and a towel.
Sheffield City Trust is also working closely with other local charities and organisations involved in Sheffield Healthy Holidays - such as Zest, Darnall Health & Wellbeing and Sharrow Community Health Forum - to organise activities like cycling, trampolining and more.
HAF is funded by the Department for Education, with around £2.7m provided to Sheffield City Council. The programme is targeted at children eligible for free school meals, and aims to help them regularly exercise and consume a healthy diet through activities held during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.
Robert Womack, Health, Wellbeing and Partnerships Manager for Sheffield City Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be working so closely alongside Sheffield City Council and other local providers to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food programme across Sheffield.
“With freedom finally on the horizon as we move away from the pandemic, this is a fantastic opportunity to show children not only the importance of eating well and keeping active, but that leading a healthy lifestyle can be really enjoyable too.”
Cllr Jayne Dunn of Sheffield City Council, said:
"I want to make sure that children are happy and healthy during the school holidays as we know there can be particular pressure points for families because of increased costs such as food and childcare, and reduced incomes. For some children this can lead to them being less likely to access organised out-of-school activities and encounter social isolation. We are writing to qualifying families with information about the programme."
Sheffield City Trust launched in 1987 as the UK’s first leisure trust, and has inspired the local community to get fit and stay active for over 30 years. It has invested almost £50m into improving its facilities and reaching local communities since 1990.
The charity recently revamped its membership offering to include access to all facilities across the city for unlimited gym, swimming and fitness classes as well as online, On Demand activities as part of a drive to ‘break down barriers’ preventing local people from getting active.
The Trust manages 13 fitness and leisure venues across the Sheffield City Region, as well as the Sheffield Arena and Sheffield City Hall. Over 500 members of staff are employed by Sheffield City Trust, and more than 90 per cent are from the Sheffield City Region.
You can find out more about the activists available over the holidays across the city by visiting the Sheffield Healthy Holidays website.