Holidays Are Fun annual report 2025 to 2026

In addition to offering children a hot nutritious meal that met school food standards, providers were asked to deliver nutritional and healthy lifestyle education as part of their HAF programme. Providers did this in a variety of ways. For some it involved educative sessions with paper-based activities, others offered interactive sessions, including food-based activities such as making fruit kebabs, homemade pizzas, taste testing, blind taste testing, growing herbs, cookery workshops or including children in cooking their own meals.

Cookstars delivered a series of cookery sessions within a family hub for children supported by the Edge of Care Team at Stockton‑on‑Tees Borough Council. These sessions were both educational and engaging, providing children with the opportunity to develop new, practical life skills while enjoying a fun and supportive environment.

Many providers worked in partnership with external agencies to deliver preventative education sessions covering topics such as dental hygiene, vaping and smoking, positive relationships and friendships, and basic first aid.

Providers also have access to the Public Health Information Library, which offers a wide range of resources and equipment. These resources support providers to deliver key educational messages in a way that is both engaging and informative for children and young people.

As part of Christmas HAF delivery, a referral-based food hamper initiative was implemented to support vulnerable and in-need families. Professionals across Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council were able to refer families to receive a two-day activity and food hamper. A total of four hundred high-quality food hampers were acquired from Feeding Families and distributed by the HAF team. Each hamper contained two days' worth of food and essential items for a family of four, (larger families received two hampers) alongside a child-friendly recipe card designed to enable children, with adult support, to prepare a meal using the ingredients provided as an engaging activity. In addition, four different family board games were sourced, and each family was able to select one to take home as a separate at-home activity.