From this September, more children and young people are eligible for Free School Meals during term time, but many of those same children are not eligible for HAF support during the school holidays.

Healthy Start can make a real difference to families with very young children who are struggling with the cost of food. Too many people are still missing out on the support they are entitled to.

No child should be going hungry during the school holidays. Thank you to Kim Johnson MP for Liverpool Riverside for highlighting how unacceptable it is that children and young people are still going without the food they need during the holidays.

Our National Director has written to @theguardian.com about the cliff edge facing families earning as little as £7,500 a year who, despite now qualifying for free school meals, will be unable to access the vital support of the HAF programme. Read more here: www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

We’re very grateful for the support of MPs and peers from both houses who recognise the importance of extending HAF eligibility in line with Free School Meal eligibility so as to avoid creating two tiers of child poverty in England.

Huge thank you to Sharon Hodgson MP for supporting our cause to extend HAF eligibility in order to ensure no child goes hungry during the school holidays. You can add your voice here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Feeding Britain’s Chair, Professor Greta Defeyter OBE @livinghealthy007.bsky.social and National Director, Andrew Forsey OBE, share their thoughts on the importance of our petition outside 10 Downing Street. You can add your voice to our cause here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Today @livinghealthy007.bsky.social joined @alliance4children.bsky.social, @feedingbritain.org and others to deliver an urgent letter asking Government not to sever the long-standing link between free school meal entitlement and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. 💡Full story:

Northumbria researcher joins appeal to Downing Street on free school meals and holiday support

A Northumbria University academic, whose research has played a key role in bringing breakfast clubs and holiday activities to millions of children across the country, has joined a coalition calling on...

northumbria.ac.uk

A big thank you to Kim Johnson MP for raising this issue in Parliament today. If the link is broken between term time free school meal eligibility and HAF eligibility in the school holidays, this will result in two tier child poverty in England.

Today, we have delivered a message to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street; do not break the link between Free School Meals eligibility in term time and HAF during school holidays.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign so far. Today, we will be handing in our petition with all your signatures to 10 Downing Street. Eligibility for HAF has always been based on free school meals...

We were pleased to attend the Food Banks APPG reception yesterday to mark the publication of the Hardship in the UK report which was developed in partnership with Trussell, IFAN and others to better understand the drivers of hardship and inform action to reduce the need for charitable food aid.

Confusion over HAF eligibility is creating more work for providers and putting additional barriers in the way of families who need support. Starting this month, more children will receive Free School Meals during term time...

This is why HAF matters. HAF provides nutritious meals and enriching activities during the holidays for children from low-income families. It gives them a safe and enjoyable place to spend their holidays, while helping to relieve some of the financial pressure on families.

“We regularly see families where parents are working long hours… their income does not stretch far enough to cover the additional costs of childcare during school holidays.”

Working families often face additional holiday childcare costs on top of struggling to cover the cost of food, bills and holiday activities. HAF can help fill this gap and support parents and carers to stay in work, and give the same opportunities to young people as their peers.

For families already facing financial pressures, the six-week summer holidays can be an especially difficult time. Carrie Hirst, CEO of the Dalgarno Trust, explains how HAF funding allows their centre to provide a safe and welcoming place for local children throughout the summer.

Every child deserves the chance to discover something new. HAF gives children and young people the chance to learn by doing and discover things they might never otherwise have had the chance to try.

Behind every great HAF club is a team of dedicated staff and volunteers. They create safe, welcoming spaces where children and young people can enjoy nutritious meals, try new activities, make friends and build confidence.

“It gives them structure, it keeps them active, and it helps them with the cost of living” In this clip, Darren from Walton Youth and Community Project shares how HAF clubs provide healthy meals, activities, and social connections while easing the pressure on parents facing rising living costs.

Physical activity is a key part of every Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. By combining nutritious meals with opportunities to get active, HAF helps children and young people build healthy habits that last beyond the school holidays.

The school holidays should be a time for children to play, build confidence, and make lasting memories. But the holidays can bring additional pressures around time and budgets with too many children going without the food or fulfilment they need to survive.

Every child deserves the support they need to thrive. Across the UK, holiday clubs provide specialist support for children and young people facing additional challenges.

HAF Providers across our network frequently share with us the vital impact that HAF has on their community. As Sharon Munroe from Equilibrium North West explains, HAF provides children with a safe place to go during the holidays where they can access nutritious food and enrichment activities.

HAF is about so much more than food. School holidays are an opportunity for children and young people across the country to build confidence, make friends and memories, try new experiences and feel part of their communities.

For thousands of children and young people, holiday clubs provide safe spaces for their wellbeing to flourish. They give young people a safe space to make friends, stay active, develop confidence, and enjoy experiences that many families simply couldn't otherwise afford.

No child should spend the school holidays hungry. Across communities in the South West, the North West, the North East, London and beyond, HAF programmes are helping children and young people develop the skills and confidence to make healthy food choices.

"If you add up the cost of feeding your children for the entire six-week holiday, that's going to be more than some people's wages. HAF helps massively with this. Some mums don't feed themselves."

82% of members feel less stressed about food since joining an Affordable Food Club. Our latest From Crisis to Resilience report shows that Affordable Food Clubs are delivering measurable and sustained benefits for households facing food insecurity.