LiveWire Warrington Take Part in HAF Programme to Support Kids Over the Summer Holidays

LiveWire is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that delivers services to benefit the physical and mental wellbeing of the Warrington community. LiveWire has been taking part in the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme, coordinated by Warrington Borough Council (WBC), for children and young people in the community to help improve their summer holiday experiences. 

The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme aims to help children and young people be healthier, more active, and have greater knowledge of health and nutrition over the summer holidays. The programme also helps children become more engaged with school and other local services in their area. Since 2018, the programme has been supporting children in receipt of free school meals.

Research showed that the school holidays aren’t easy for every family, with a combination of pressure points from increased food and childcare costs to reduced incomes. In low-income households, children are less likely to go to out-of-school activities, have little access to nutrition and physical health, and are more likely to experience social isolation. However, this programme aims to:

• Enable kids to eat healthier over the summer holidays.
• Be more active in the summer.
• Take part in engaging and enriching activities.
• Engage in activities that support their resilience, character, wellbeing, and educational development.
• To be safe and not isolated from social interactions.
• Have better knowledge of their health and nutrition.
• To become more engaged with their school and other local services available to them.

LiveWire is a company whose best interest is in the community and the HAF programme has been an excellent way for them to further showcase this. They have been running three different HAF projects throughout Warrington and have so far delivered 114 hours in HAF provision. LiveWire spent more than eight hours delivering community-based projects for children and young people, including boxing, multi-sports, first-aid, arts from Smart Art, cookery workshops from Adventurous Kitchen, and more.

Staff from the community’s police department visited the sites of LiveWire’s HAF projects on several occasions to discuss safety with the children and show them how to stay safe whilst they’re out and about. The HAF groups participating had smiles pasted all over their faces when they had a chance to try on the police’s protective gear and sit in their patrol car.

Each day included breakfast and lunch. The HAF groups had a range of nutritious food supplied by Fuel Hub, a healthy food company that delivers chef-cooked, nutritious meals, and provides food for professional sports teams in football and rugby. Food was also supplied by the Warrington Disability Partnership, a values-based charity that supports people with disabilities, their families, and carers. The dishes provided to the children were nutritionally balanced and in line with their school’s food standards, with empty plates and smiles all around.

To find out more about LiveWire Warrington CIC and the HAF programme, get in touch.