What is HAF?

HAF stands for the Holiday Activities and Food programme, a government-funded initiative providing free holiday club places, enriching activities and nutritious meals to eligible school-aged children during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

The programme is designed to support children from Reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.

Research has shown that the school holidays can often be difficult for children and families on low incomes. During school breaks, children and young people can experience things such as social isolation, poorer nutrition and fewer opportunities to take part in activities outside of school.

Since 2018, the programme has provided support to children and families during the school holidays. Holiday provision can have many positive impacts on children, from providing a nutritious lunch and involving children in cooking to giving them opportunities to take part in activities run in partnership with voluntary and community organisations.

Local authorities are asked to ensure that free holiday club provision is available to children receiving benefits-related free school meals in their area. The provision is voluntary, and local authorities can offer different types of activities and arrangements to suit their communities.

Cook in the Woods

At the Heart of England Forest, we run a unique HAF-funded session called Cook in the Woods, in partnership with Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils.

Children have the opportunity to come and take part in campfire cooking and outdoor activities in one of our beautiful woodlands. We use our branded Heart of England Forest minibus to pick children up and drop them off in different areas of Redditch, helping to remove transport as a barrier to taking part.

During their day with us, the children get to have an outdoor adventure in the woods and cook their own simple, wholesome meal outdoors using a campfire and a trangia, a simple camping stove.

After cooking and eating, they have the opportunity to take part in outdoor activities such as den building, bug hunting, outdoor arts and crafts, and learning about the wildlife that lives in the woodland. We finish off their adventure by toasting marshmallows over the campfire.

We want the sessions to be accessible to everyone, so we cater for different dietary requirements, including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, halal and dairy-free diets, as well as fussy eaters.

What does a Cook in the Woods day look like?

Our day begins at 10am, when we pick up the children in our branded minibus from Abbey Stadium Sports Centre in Redditch.

At around 10.15am, we arrive at Gorcott Hill Education Centre and start with a health and safety talk.

Then it is time to get cooking. We teach the group how to make a hot campfire meal from fresh and tinned ingredients, introducing different cooking skills such as chopping, peeling and grating. The children also make a sweet treat for pudding, such as rocky road or crispy cakes.

While we cook, we talk about healthy eating and the different food groups, what they do for our bodies and how much of different types of food we should be eating.

At around 11am, we head up into the woods for our survival-themed activities. After another quick health and safety talk, the children get the chance to explore the woodland and try activities including:

• Shelter building and hammock making
• Making water filters
• Fire lighting
• Foraging and identifying plants

There is, of course, time for lunch too, when everyone can enjoy the food they have helped to prepare.

At 1.50pm, we get back on the minibus and return to Abbey Stadium in Redditch for 2pm.

What has been the impact this year?

I think the impact is big every year because it is such an important project and provides great support for children and families over the holidays.

But especially this year, with the cost-of-living crisis, we have definitely noticed more children talking about how life at home is hard and that their parents don't have a lot of money to buy essential things.

It is really lovely to be able to provide them with a hot, healthy lunch and the opportunity to learn new skills and hopefully make some friends.

A lot of the children and young people who come to our sessions don't have gardens or any outdoor space at home, so being here gives them the freedom and space to explore outdoors. We often comment on just how happy the young people seem to be when they are playing and exploring in the woods.

There are so many benefits. The sessions are good for children's mental and physical health, give them opportunities to make new friends, teach them cooking and outdoor bushcraft skills, and provide them with a healthy, hot campfire meal and pudding.

A particular highlight

One of the loveliest things is that we get lots of children returning year after year because they just love spending time in the woods.

One child and their mum told me that this is the only place her daughter will eat vegetables, so we need to get the recipe for them!

"I love this place. I wish it could be my forest"

For me, moments like these really show how important these programmes are.

They are hugely important in supporting our local communities and are definitely something that I hope we will be able to continue well into the future.

The programmes provide opportunities for children to learn new skills, meet new people and spend time outdoors, while also making sure they have a hot, healthy meal at lunchtime.

Sometimes something as simple as cooking together, exploring the woods and sitting around a campfire can make a real difference.