Over 1,000 children from across County Durham have benefited from free holiday activity places this summer thanks to North East charity Karbon Foundation.
Working in partnership, with funding providers, regeneration specialists RE:GEN Group, The Bread and Butter Thing in partnership with Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s, and Durham County Council’s Fun and Food programme, this has been a record year for Karbon’s summer Holiday Squad programme, designed to keep children active, engaged and connected.
Paul Moralee, Head of Community Investment and Social Value at Karbon Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to continue providing these free holiday activities for our communities. Delivering high-quality programmes requires significant investment, but we remain committed to ensuring they are accessible to families and give local children the opportunity to enjoy fun, engaging and sociable activities, alongside a healthy meal.
“Thanks to the support of RE:GEN Group, The Bread and Butter Thing and Durham County Council, we’ve once again been able to offer this vital provision, and the positive impact on children and families has been incredible.”
Activities this summer have included sports with Newcastle United Foundation and Alpha Boxing Gym, creative workshops with Artee, ARTventurers, Big Science, Northern Sky Design and Stanley Young People’s Club, and cooking sessions with Creative Kitchen.
Sessions also help support families facing rising living costs, with each attendee receiving a free meal and parents/guardians given access to The Bread and Butter Things’ affordable food bags for their families.
The funding also supports provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), neurodiverse (ND) children and those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, ensuring activities are inclusive and accessible to all. These sessions have been supported by SEND specialists Unite Club.
Local parent Kathryn Grove brings her son Ethan to the Holiday Squad SEND activities. Ethan has ADHD and Autism and struggles with change and going to new places. Holiday Squad was different:
“We have attempted to attend various SEND clubs over the years; none were successful. Either we were asked to pick our children up as their SEND needs weren’t understood, or we found they were terrified to go back and refused to go.
“We booked the Holiday Squad sessions mainly because of its location, in a SEND school that is secure with the facilities such as sensory and break out spaces. Ethan reluctantly came along to the group unsure what to expect, once in the building the staff welcomed him in, reassured him and I saw him smiling and feeling at ease straight away… this is rare when we do something new. Ethan stayed for the first session and asked if he could come back so we ended up booking all of them. It was a huge success!”
Dave Brown, Managing Director of RE:GEN North East said: “We’re proud to support Holiday Squad, helping to ensure more young people have access to fun, inclusive activities across County Durham , throughout the summer holidays. Through our partnership with Karbon, we’re committed to doing more than improving homes – we’re also investing in people and communities, helping them to thrive, and it’s incredible to see first-hand the difference access to these activities can make to the children taking part and their families.
Karbon Foundation is a charitable subsidiary within the Karbon Group. Designed to help create lasting social impact in the North East and Yorkshire, Karbon Foundation will focus on improving people’s social and financial wellbeing and delivering community investment.
To find out more about Karbon Foundation’s work, visit www.karbonfoundation.co.uk
