Holiday club sees no end in demand as Cambridgeshire schools close for summer
The club's expecting a higher number of children over the school holidays
A school holiday club in Cambridgeshire expecting a rise in demand this summer hopes it can meet the cost of living test.
Come and Play in Whittlesey is part of Cambridgeshire County Council's holiday activities and food programme, offering meals and the likes of football and donkey riding.
Between 100 and 130 children are predicted to attend the club each day during the three weeks it's open this summer holidays, a rise from last year.
Janette Bowden manages Come and Play:
“My numbers have grown; I asked for 70 places this summer, I was awarded the full 70 and I’ve booked on 87 children,” she said.
“If I opened for the full six weeks Monday to Friday 9 to 5, I would fill every place.”
Come and Play is signed up to run as part of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which offers free holiday scheme places to eligible primary and secondary school children.
It’s a scheme that runs during the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays.
"We have lots of conversations around water safety"
As well as the likes of cricket and donkey riding, Janette also encourages children to learn swimming and the importance of water safety.
“The main part of my setting is we take the children swimming every day,” she said.
“Some of those children won’t go swimming in a school holiday or don’t attend swimming lessons, and these lessons are quite expensive.
“Especially living in Fenland, we’re surrounded by water, so we make sure we have lots of conversations around water safety.”
A survey by Censuswide in May this year found 25.27% of respondents in the East of England were worried about paying for necessities such as food and heat.
Free school meal allowance to rise from September
And 29.15 per cent of eligible children in Fenland received free school meals last October according to county council data, the highest rate out of any other district.
Cambridgeshire County Council have confirmed from September, they will increase the funding for free school meals for each eligible child from £2.35 to £2.41.
As well as activities, Janette offers mid-morning snacks and lunches to eligible children that attend Come and Play but has also considered offering an early morning meal.
“Some of them wouldn’t have had breakfast at home, so we’re starting to think should we be offering food first thing in the morning,” she said.
“We do fresh food, and a lot of education around different foods, the fruits that are not the norm in a house and are very expensive.
"The need is just going to get bigger"
Janette has seen the demand for places at her holiday club increase, not just for food but for general support.
And despite the cost of living crisis making times harder for some families, she is ready for the challenge.
“The need out there is just going to get bigger, without a doubt,” Janette added.
“Like any challenge, you look at the bigger picture and think what solution we are going to put in place to try and fix that.
“There is always a solution out there; you’ve just got to look hard for it.”