Wales pilots scheme to tackle holiday hunger

A ‘holiday hunger’ pilot scheme in Wales is aiming to support low income families during the holidays.

The Holiday Hunger Playworks Pilot is backed by £100,000 of Welsh Government funding and will enable existing community and playwork settings across Wales to extend their provision of food in areas with high levels of deprivation.

The pilot is complementary to the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)-led School Holiday Enrichment Programme, a schools-based initiative that provides healthy meals, nutrition education, physical activity and enrichment sessions to children in areas of social deprivation during the school holidays.

This pilot and wider scheme aim to support some of our poorest communities at a time that can bring additional financial challenges for many families, particularly those who access free school meals during term time.

Under this pilot, a total of £100,000 will be allocated to 13 local authority areas across Wales – consisting of £70,000 towards open access holiday play settings and other initiatives which children and young people can attend, and £30,000 for out-of-school holiday club spaces.