Inside Salisbury: Festive fun with the FUEL Programme
Holiday Activity and Food Programme returns in Salisbury
by Annette J Beveridge
THE FUEL summer programme has supported more than 1,500 children and provided more than 13,000 meals this year and this Christmas the programme is back to provide festive fun for many.
Wiltshire Council received £1,128,750 to deliver the programme which stands for Food, Unity, Energy and Laughter (FUEL) and events took place during the Easter, Summer and now, the Christmas school holidays.
FUEL benefits school-age children and young people up to the end of year 11, who are eligible for benefit-related free school meals. It is funded by the Department for Education.
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Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Laura Mayes, said; “Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families because of increased costs. Children from low-income households are less likely to access organised out-of-school activities, more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health and more likely to experience social isolation.
“In Wiltshire, the FUEL programme is a response to tackling the triple inequalities of holiday hunger, physical inactivity, and social isolation.”
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So far in 2024, sixty-one FUEL camps have been delivered, including SEND-specific camps and children will be able to access up to four days of activities at locations across the county.
One parent stated: “My son is more confident and comfortable. He absolutely thrives when the FUEL programme is on. He has just grown a lot.”
Cabinet Member for Leisure and Public Health, Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling, said: "FUEL continues to provide children with opportunities to have the best start in life and to see the programme continue to thrive is not only pleasing but really important.
“Many of the organisations that supported us in the summer are back and we're pleased to be working alongside them once again to provide exciting activities and experiences for our children, nutritious lunchtime meals and, for the first time, breakfast, thanks to funding from the Household Support Fund."
"We hope that those eligible can take advantage of the programme and that it helps as many families as possible at a particularly busy time of the year."
Various events are in place across Salisbury. For more information, click here.
