The Cardiff Commitment Team are supporting our internal colleagues who are organising 2 exciting summer programmes:
- School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) – this programme is delivered in schools in Cardiff over the summer holiday
- ‘Summer of Smiles’ – this programme will be held with partners and venues across the city.
(Further information about both programmes are in the links below)
You may have already been contacted by someone from our Child Friendly Cities Team or the SHEP Team.
If either programmes are of interest and something your organisation would like to support, please fill out the below links so our internal teams can start identifying partners/activities for each programme:
‘Summer of Smiles’ Summer Programme
School Holiday Enrichment Programme
Please see below for more details on this programme:
School Holiday Enrichment Programme : Food and Fun in Cardiff Summer 2021
The School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) is a joint initiative between Cardiff Council, Cardiff and Vale UHB, Sport Cardiff and Food Cardiff and is delivered in partnership with schools and community settings in Cardiff. Food and Fun is the brand identity used at local level to promote the schemes to children and families, thereby avoiding any stigma.
Cardiff was the first local authority in Wales to help tackle the issue of children going hungry during the school holidays (there are 170 non-school days in the year that Free School Meal (FSM) pupils cannot access their entitlement to a school lunch). Often, this is the only regular hot meal that is available to them during term time.
In Wales, it is particularly acute as not only do they miss their Free School Meal at lunchtime, but also Free Breakfast which is provided as part of the Welsh Government’s Free Breakfast Scheme.
SHEP provides food and nutrition education, physical activity, fun enrichment sessions and good quality healthy meals all delivered in a safe, nurturing environment to help reduce the isolation and hunger often experienced by families in the school holidays. The programme runs from 9am to 3pm, for 12 days during the summer holiday period (4 days for 3 weeks or 3 days for 4 weeks).
Through opening schools during the school holiday period SHEP’s aims are to assist the city in meeting its commitment to reducing childhood poverty levels, enhance children’s quality of life and reduce inequalities in health and learning loss. This year there is also an expectation for focus on wellbeing and school engagement.
Cardiff Council and Welsh Government jointly fund the staffing and food costs for the programme, but we have to rely on private and third sector organisations to provide enrichment activities free of charge. These are a very important aspect of the programme as families living in poverty are unable to provide holidays or days out for their children, and these children are then unable to join in conversations with friends on the exciting things they have done during the holiday period. We work with providers to ensure that children have something memorable to talk about on their return to school. We engage with organisations like yours, to provide activities for the children attending the programme, and we also have parents attending for one afternoon per week.
Further information School Holiday Enrichment Programme, Food and Fun | Food CardiffFood Cardiff
The link below highlights the importance of such enrichment activities, and whilst filmed in London, it could have been filmed in any local authority across the UK. It gives a true picture of some children’s experiences during school holidays.
This summer more than ever, we need to provide as much summer provision and activities across the city as we can. The provision will make an important contribution to the re-engagement of young people in Cardiff in readiness for the start of the new academic year in September.
Cardiff has been recognised across the UK for leading the way on school holiday provision with the programme gaining national and international recognition, and receiving awards in the public sector, health, sustainability and corporate responsibility fields. The success of the programme is also acknowledged by Welsh Government, with visits each summer by Mark Drakeford, First Minister and Vaughan Gething, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services.
If you would like to be involved, please contact Judith Gregory if you have any queries.
If you are aware of other organisations who may be able to support us, please pass my contact details to them.
Judith Gregory
E-bost/Email: jgregory@caerdydd.gov.uk / jgregory@cardiff.gov.uk
Ffôn/Tel: 07870 646028
