Youngsters HAF lots of fun on holiday scheme
FREE fun activities and healthy food was enjoyed by hundreds of young people and families from Rossendale attending the second Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF).
Led by Rossendale Leisure Trust, delivered by partners and funded by £200,000 from the Department for Education, HAF provides a service throughout the year when schools are closed at Christmas, Easter and summer breaks.
Five days of activities were organised from Saturday, December 18 to Thursday, December 23 for young people in primary, secondary and special schools at different venues across Rossendale.
All of the activities and food was provided free for young people in receipt of free school meals and those who were identified as vulnerable.
Activities ranged from Lego Robotics sessions provided by Lancashire Adult Learning, multiskills sessions run by Crawshawbooth Community Association and Rossendale Leisure Trust, cookery by Cookstars, virtual gaming by Infinite Reality and much more.
Young people also got to go skiing, tubing, swimming, climbing and play laser tag at Rossendale Leisure Trust sites.
Laura Elson, from The Valley Hoopers, led Hula Hooping and Yoga sessions.
She said: “I feel very humbled and blessed to be a part of these activities; they are great for the children living in
our community.
“It is nice to be able to provide a safe place for children where they can have a good time. Learn new skills, get to be with their friends and have
good food.”
The leisure trust’s own naughty elf Buddy also got involved in the yoga class. Evaline, seven, said: “I enjoyed it because I do yoga at
home when I watch Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. I also got to do animal handling when there was a rabbit, a guinea pig and a skinny pig – that is a little guinea
pig that has no hair.
“There was also a tarantula and I don’t like spiders. I got to cook and we made Chinese noodles. I have enjoyed everything – it has been
great.”
The sessions will now be evaluated and feedback assessed to assist with planning the third HAF programme at Easter.