Above: Children enjoyed a range of activities at a Summer of Play holiday camp in Oxley Park
Milton Keynes City Council funded more than 100,000 hours of FREE activity sessions for local children and young people, as well as providing 25,000 healthy meals and snacks over the school summer holidays.
More than 3,000 children took part in the City Council’s Summer of Play programme, an increase of around 600 children compared to last year’s events.
The free programme offered indoor and outdoor events in 62 locations across MK for families with children who usually receive benefit related free school meals. Activities were designed to be as inclusive as possible and this year, almost 1,000 children with special educational needs attended.
Working with local organisations such as schools, clubs and charities, the City Council enabled 25,000 sessions throughout August, each including a free healthy meal and snack. Activities included sports such as basketball, netball, and football alongside day trips, cookery, crafting and music.
“I’d like to thank all the groups and clubs who worked with us to provide free activities and fresh food over the summer. Our popular Summer of Play continues to be a welcome boost, especially to struggling local families and has provided thousands of children with fun and memorable experiences over the summer period. I’m pleased to see the large number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities who were able to take part this year and we’d welcome feedback from all those who attended.”
The City Council is inviting all families who attended one or more sessions to give their feedback via a brief questionnaire.