Friday, 28 April 2023
Over the recent school holidays, Summerfield Stables has been helping many young people and children get active by running the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme at their centre. The funding has been set up by the government to distribute to centres who are working to help children get active and eat well over their break from education.
Summerfield Stables is a registered charity situated in the Yardley Wood area of Birmingham, affiliated with The Pony Club and British Horse Society. The centre’s purpose is to encourage children and young people to understand and interact with horses, while working to be inclusive participants from all backgrounds, including those with mental and physical disabilities and those who struggle in mainstream education.
Georgina Urwin from Summerfield Stables commented, “We’re already a centre that prides ourselves on trying to make horse riding accessible and inclusive wherever possible and so we were immediately drawn to running the HAF projects. We loved providing a welcoming atmosphere for young people who had struggled to find a centre to meet their needs.”
Summerfield have taken part in the HAF programme, in partnership with StreetGames throughout the holidays. The attendees got involved in a variety of activities to develop their pony care and riding skills, while earning Pony Club badges along the way, as well as art and craft sessions to show off their creativity.
The HAF camps at Summerfield have been a great success with many children keen to carry on this experience with more sessions at the centre with their favourite ponies.
More information on the HAF camps can be found here: Holiday activities and food programme 2023 - GOV.UK
If running the HAF programme interests you and your centre, please contact: participaton@bef.co.uk.
Find out more about the centres running the HAF projects in their case studys.