BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has been given £737,760 to provide activities and hot meals for the children of hard-up families during the school holidays in 2023/24.

The cash comes from the government's Holiday Activity and Food programme.

The grant will be spent supporting children entitled to free school meals with holiday clubs.

The allocation is revealed in a report to the Thursday's meeting of the council's executive board by education and children's services boss Cllr Julie Gunn.

It has been welcomed by her Conservative group shadow Cllr Lilian Salton.

Cllr Gunn's report says: "Since 2018, the Department for Education has funded the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme which has provided support to children in receipt of free school meals through holiday periods.

"Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families.

"For some children this can lead to a holiday experience gap, with children from low-income households being:

"• less likely to access organised out-of-school activities;

"• more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health; and

"• more likely to experience social isolation.

"The HAF programme is a response to this issue, enabling free places at holiday clubs for children who are entitled to free school meals.

"These clubs provide physical activity, a hot meal and enrichment activities alongside education and support opportunities for parents and carers.

"Evidence shows that free holiday clubs can have a positive impact on children and young people, and work best when they:

"• provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities;

"• cover more than just breakfast or lunch;

"• involve children (and parents) in food preparation;

"• use local partnerships and connections with the voluntary and community sector.

"In Blackburn with Darwen, the HAF programme alone has enabled us to support 86 per cent of our free school meals children and their families throughout the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays over the past three years.

"In summer 2022, 640 meals were distributed to families. Partners shop locally and 11 local food providers supported the programme.

"The aim is to make free places available to children eligible for free school meals for at least four hours a day, four days a week and for six weeks in school holidays during 2023/2024.

"This covers one week at Easter, four weeks in the summer and a week’s worth of provision during Christmas.

"Holiday clubs can also be made available to any children not eligible for and in receipt of free school meals, who can pay to attend."

Cllr Salton said: "This grant is good news, I welcome anything that helps families and children who need support."