Festive fun with the Holiday Activities and Food programme

Hundreds of children across Devon aged 5 to 16 years old, who are eligible for benefit-related free school meals, will enjoy an action-packed start to the Christmas holidays.

Devon County Council's government-funded Holiday Activities and Food programme offers free physical activities and healthy, nutritional hot meals during school holidays to children of low-income families.

For four days over the upcoming break from school, the Council have teamed up with over 60 different activity providers across Devon to offer a great range of free indoor and outdoor activities to children aged five to 16 years old, who receive benefit-related free school meals.

As usual there is a wide range of activities to choose from, from cooking and craft, sports and coaching, outdoor and forest play, music and dance and more. All clubs will be operating for a minimum of four hours and will include a hot meal. Some are offering trips to local attractions and hampers for families. 

Details of activities can be found on our interactive map. If your child is eligible to access the programme, simply search for a provider in your area, have a look at their listing to see what they’re offering, then when you’re ready, book a place with them directly.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, our Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children’s Services, said:

“This holiday marks three years since we launched our Holiday Activities and Food programme, and during that time thousands of eligible children have taken part in hundreds of clubs across Devon.

“It offers a fantastic opportunities to keep children active during the holidays, eat a nutritious meal, learn new skills and make new friends in a safe and fun environment.

“The school holidays can be particularly difficult for some families, and especially over the winter with the added pressure of Christmas, so I’m pleased that once again we have a fantastic range of activities and hot meals for young people to enjoy.”

For more information about our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, please visit our website.