Hull FC and the Hull FC Community Foundation welcomed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steven Barclay MP to the club’s Centre of Excellence earlier today.
As part of a ministerial visit to the city, the cabinet minister visited the club to see the Community Foundation’s Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) summer camps in action.
Over 850 hours of free summer camps are taking place across the six-week holidays, with hundreds of children across the city benefitting.
The Community Foundation received funding for the camps through both Hull City Council, and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, with the scheme funded by the Government and delivered by local councils across the summer, providing healthy food and fun activities to children and young people, with free meals available for those on free school meals.
The Hull FC Community Foundation has been identified as a key strategic partner and will work with the councils and other partners across the summer holidays to provide programmes of coordinated activities to support families and enable children to have fun and stay active while away from the classroom.
Camps, which will continue until the end of the holidays, have varied from community club rugby league sessions, girls camps, dance and cheerleading, and multi-sport camps, and open for primary and secondary school children to book the four hour sessions.
Mr Barclay’s visit to the Hull FC Centre of Excellence saw him watch one of the club’s dance and cheerleading camps take place, while meeting some of the club’s Foundation coaches, and some of the youngsters taking part.
The Health Secretary was greeted by Hull FC’s CEO James Clark, and Head of Foundation James Price, as well as representatives from Hull City Council; Cllr Linda Tock, Rachel Roberts (Head of Early Help), and Clare Farrow (Healthy Lifestyles Manager)
Steven Barclay MP, said: “Activities like this are hugely important. We know that obesity is a big cause of cancer, and a huge cost to the NHS at £6 billion a year. But it’s also a great way of improving people’s mental and physical health, so to have children involved in sessions like these through the Government funding, is hugely helpful in getting young people more active.
“The pandemic reduced young people’s activities massively, so that makes it even more important at this time that these activity sessions are taking place.
“We recognise that this is a difficult time for many families, with budgets being stretched, and therefore the cost of taking children to take part in certain activities is more difficult. And that’s why free sessions like these being run by the club in partnership with the council are so important.
“There is no cost constraint to stop young people coming, and it’s a great way of getting them into activity during the summer, and connecting them with their local clubs too, like Hull FC.”
Head of the Hull FC Community Foundation, James Price, added:
“The club and the Community Foundation were pleased to welcome the Secretary of State to witness some of the brilliant work taking place as part of our Holiday Activities and Food summer camps.
“Over 850 hours of camps are taking place across the summer holidays, which will benefit thousands of young people across the city, so we’re delighted to have secured the funding for this summer, and the next two years also.
“We are very aware of the challenges both the pandemic, and the current cost of living crisis has placed on families and children and young people, and believe physical activity can play a part in supporting better mental health for all, with the added benefit of all of our camps being free to attend.
“It’s a nice added touch that we can offer our participants free meals at the camps they attend. It makes them feel more welcome, and it gives them an incentive to come back and take part in another camp in the future.
“ Last year’s camps were evidently well-received, and looking at the data, we can see that the majority of last year’s participants have returned, whilst it appears many have told their friends to come along and enjoy themselves, too.”
STORY SPONSOR
