Pictured: Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, with some of the team at Moorlands Family Centre – a provider on the winter activity programme
A programme of FREE activity sessions will provide extra support to families in Milton Keynes during the Christmas school holidays. The activity sessions are exclusively available to children, young people, and their families in receipt of benefit related Free School Meals.
Between 19 – 22 December, a huge range of indoor and outside activities have been organised including arts and crafts, crazy golf, film-making and multi-sports clubs. The winter activity programme, developed and funded by Milton Keynes City Council, is available to view online.
More than 7,000 individual play sessions will be running across MK in the week before Christmas. Eligible families simply need to browse the online programme and contact providers directly to make a booking. Most of the activities take place within 4-hour sessions and include nutritious, healthy meals unless stated on the programme. Most providers will be able to cater their events for attendees with special educational needs or disabilities.
“The current cost-of-living crisis coupled with winter bills means that many families are struggling. We hope this package of activities and food will help some of our young people to get the most from their time away from school. Please encourage friends and family who may be eligible to check out our programme.”
Milton Keynes City Council is working with 21 local clubs, schools, charities and organisations to provide the activities as well as holding events in its own Children and Family Centres and Music Hub.
The programme builds on the hugely successful Summer of Play where local families took part in 26,000 fully funded activity sessions during August with each including a free healthy meal and snack.
The City Council has previously declared a ‘cost-of-living emergency’ and published a Winter Plan at the start of November with extra funding for local projects that provide food or domestic essentials or that can offset or reduce energy bills.
To learn more about the Winter Holiday Activities and Food programme in Milton Keynes visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/haf and download the full activity programme.