People in Whitby able to take advantage of free things over summer
Flash Company Arts are putting on activities and it has its pay as you feel cafe and community fridge.
Families in Whitby are able to take advantage of free activities this summer as schoolchildren are on their holidays.
It is being run by Flash Company Arts based at Flowergate Hall, who say they know people might not be coping well with the cost of living.
They also run the community fridge and a pay as you feel cafe where those who are struggling can get free food or meals.
Rebecca Denniff is a director of Flash Company Arts and said: "We use polaroid cameras to take photographs, we make fimo models, we make music together and we created our own compositions. We always have a mindful half hour where everybody listens to music, relaxes, does yoga or a bit of meditation.
"We do lots of drawing and art, we learn about food so we talk about food and nutrition and we also talk about bigger things if the young people bring them up, like climate change and caring for the planet. One of our big questions at the moment is 'what do we need to live a good life?'
"There's still a huge demand. Demand has gone up, not down and that's sad really in many ways because demand has risen because of the cost of living crisis which doesn't seem to be going away. So what we do over the summer is we have a self referral service where if people really need extra support, they can contact us.
"People who regularly use the fridge who really are in need know they can contact us at any time. The families that bring their children every day, on the other hand, they take away the surplus food, so the surplus food is still being dealt with, processed and distributed but just in a slightly more targeted way.
"We know that on Friday we'll have lots and lots of people and we'll serve lots and lots of meals. We've taken any food pricing down for the public so people really know genuinely they can just make a donation. We just want to make sure that offer is available for people and it's authentic and genuine because we're all struggling at the moment."
FEAST Programme
As the cost-of-living crisis puts greater financial pressure on households, North Yorkshire Council says its summer holiday programme has never before provided a greater lifeline for families on free school meals.
The FEAST programme, which takes place until Friday 1st September, is being delivered together with North Yorkshire Together – a partnership between North Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Youth and Rural Arts.
The scheme provides children and young people across the county with a welcome opportunity to socialise, learn new skills and stay active.
Open to all children and young people in North Yorkshire, those who receive benefits-related free school meals can attend for free and also receive a hot meal or packed lunch.
North Yorkshire Council has been allocated funding by the Department of Education for this year’s provision of summer activities. The programme received bids from 120 activity providers this year of which 101 were successful. This is an increase compared to the 69 that offered the sessions last year.
Keen to build on the success of last summer’s programme, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “It’s heartening that we have the opportunity to build on the momentum of our previous success with the FEAST programme, which enables us to reach even more families this year.
“The FEAST programme offers a vitally important service to families, helping to ease the pressures that many households usually face during the school holiday period, such as added childcare and food costs.
“It is also a fantastic way to encourage children and young people to try new things and continue with those friendships made previously or make new friends while keeping their brains and bodies stimulated over the summer holidays.”
The North Yorkshire Together website contains online resources and inspiration for activities that families can enjoy over the holidays, as well as a directory of holiday clubs taking place across the county.