Activity providers celebrated at council’s first HAF Awards by Admin | Gloucester News Centre - http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk/
The county council celebrated Gloucestershire’s activity providers at its first ‘HAF Awards’ which celebrates organisations who help to make the Holiday Activities and Food programme a success.
On Thursday 24 August, the county council hosted it’s first ‘HAF Awards’ at a family fun day organised by The Venture Community Hub and held at The Kings School in Gloucester. The awards are to recognise and celebrate the achievements of all the fantastic local partners who help make HAF possible.
Funded by the Department for Education, the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) runs for a total of six weeks during the spring, summer, and winter school holidays to help keep children eligible for benefits-related free school meals happy, healthy, and entertained with free activities. Using grant funding, the county council also extends free, fun activities to all children and young people through its Holiday Activities Programme (HAP).
Over 300 nominations were received from families across Gloucestershire who shared their ‘Family favourite’ provider. The winners in each district are:
- Cheltenham – Springbank CiC
- Cotswolds – Stow Active Sports
- Forest of Dean – Forest Voluntary Action Forum
- Gloucester City – The Venture Community Hub
- Stroud – Sportily
- Tewkesbury – Goals Beyond Grass
A further nine awards winners were recognised for excellence in the following categories:
- Best reach of children and young people receiving benefits-related Free School Meals – Cheltenham and Gloucester Gymnastics Club
- Most innovative provider – Art Shape
- Best food provider – World Jungle
- Best nutritional education – Bloodhound Education Ltd
- Accessibility and inclusion – Goals Beyond Grass
- Best for diversity – Young Gloucestershire
- Best family event – Tetbury Area Youth and Community Trust
- Environmental sustainability best practice – Craftology
- Community impact – Cheltenham and Gloucester Gymnastics Club
The awards were hosted by Cllr Stephen Davies cabinet member for children’s safeguarding and early years, and Ann James, Executive Director of Children’s Services who said: “It was incredible to read some of the comments from parents and carers about how much our HAF providers give to their children and families, which more than any other measure demonstrated to me the full impact the HAF programme is having.
“I would like to say thank you to every family who took the time to nominate their favourite. It was a pleasure to present these richly deserved awards.”
Cllr Stephen Davies, cabinet member for children’s safeguarding and early years at Gloucestershire County Council said: “All our HAF providers have done an incredible job helping us to develop and deliver such a successful programme which benefits children and young people in communities across Gloucestershire.
“The awards are a fantastic opportunity to say thank you for the incredible work they all do and to recognise those organisations who demonstrated a significant impact.”
Special guests included some members of the independent judging panel Dame Janet Trotter DBE, CVO, Callum Gutteridge, and Amanda Deeks, and Asha Kamal from the Department for Education who presented The Venture Community Hub with their certificate for being named one of two South West Regional HAF award winners by the DfE earlier this year.
Other panel members were Bronwyn Brown, Rachel Key Joanne Arnold.
Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk
