Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Holiday activities for children

Children and young people across the district may be eligible for free school holiday club places and a meal.

The government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme takes place during Easter, the summer holidays, and Christmas.

We have provided additional money so that there are further holiday activities during the February, May and October half terms.

The programme enables children and young people to enjoy fun activities with friends, and develop new skills.

Who is eligible?

The activities are for those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

Other eligibility can include:

children assessed by the local authority as being in need, at risk or vulnerable
young carers
looked-after children or previously looked after children
children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
children who have low attendance rates at school, or who are at risk of exclusion
children living in areas of high deprivation, or from low-income households, who are not in receipt of free school meals
children in transition phases between nursery and primary school or primary and secondary school

If a child is not eligible, most providers offer paid for spaces.

How can I book activities?

We use the online booking system Eequ. Guardians of eligible children can book spaces for HAF activities through our Eequ profile:

Book a holiday activity online

If you have any queries, please email HAFenquiries@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk.

Contact us

If you need any support, please contact our HAF Coordinator Rachel Cattermole on HAFenquiries@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk

Timetable of activities

We update this webpage with information about holiday activities available for children, as and when they happen.

Book a holiday activity online

Activities available

Please note that the table below details activities taking place in the districts of both Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

Dates	Summary	Provider	Venue	Contact
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday club involving multi-sports, arts, and crafts. 9am – 5pm (early drop-off and late pick-up available)	Kicks and Tricks	Grace Cook Primary School, Stowmarket IP14 1XJ	Visit Kicks and Tricks’ website ⧉ Email info@kicksandtricks.co.uk Phone 01449 401630
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday club involving multi-sports, arts, and crafts. 9am – 5pm (early drop-off and late pick-up available)	Kicks and Tricks	Beaumont Primary School, Hadleigh IP7 6GD	Visit Kicks and Tricks’ website ⧉ Email info@kicksandtricks.co.uk Phone 01449 401630
7, 8, 15 & 15 Apr	Multi-activity courses including a range of sports, activities, arts and crafts. For 5-12 year olds	Premier Education	St Peter's and St Pauls Primary School, Church Street, Eye, Suffolk IP23 7BD	Visit Premier Education's website Email info@premier-education.com Phone 01953 499040
10, 16 & 17 Apr	Multi-activity courses including a range of sports, activities, arts and crafts. For 5-12 year olds	Premier Education	Debenham Sports & Leisure Centre, Gracechurch Street, Debenham, IP14 6BL	Visit Premier Education's website Email info@premier-education.com Phone 01953 499040
7 - 21 Apr	Family swim session, and Playworld. Gymnastics, Roller Disco and Junior Gym memberships	Everyone Active	Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket IP14 1LH	Visit Everyone Active's website Phone 01449 674980 Email trinityrose@everyoneactive.com
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday club involving football, multi-sports, arts and crafts, mini chefs, dodgeball. For 5-12 year olds	Anglia Sports Management	Brantham Leisure Centre, Brantham CO11 1RZ	Visit Anglia Sports Management's website Email info@angliasportsmanagement.com Phone 01206 392506
7 - 11 Apr	Adventure days introducing alternative physical activity through outdoor activities. For 8-12 year olds	Abbeycroft	3^rd Sudbury Scout Hut, 6 Quay Lane, Sudbury, CO10 2AN	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
14 - 17 Apr	Adventure days introducing alternative physical activity through outdoor activities. For 8-12 year olds	Abbeycroft	1st Combs Scout Group, Combs Wood Drive, Stowmarket IP14 2RJ	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
14 - 17 Apr	Family Park Cooking- outdoor activity, and an outdoor cooking lesson using recipes from a top local chef.	Abbeycroft	3^rd Sudbury Scout Hut, 6 Quay Lane, Sudbury, CO10 2AN	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
7 Apr	Family Park Cooking- outdoor activity, and an outdoor cooking lesson using recipes from a top local chef.	Abbeycroft	Hadleigh Sea Scouts, Osborne Hall, Layham Road Sports Ground, Hadleigh, IP7 5NE	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
8 - 11 Apr	Family Park Cooking- outdoor activity, and an outdoor cooking lesson using recipes from a top local chef.	Abbeycroft	1st Combs Scout Group, Combs Wood Drive, Stowmarket IP14 2RJ	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
7 Apr	Family Park Cooking- outdoor activity, and an outdoor cooking lesson using recipes from a top local chef.	Abbeycroft	1st Eye Scouts Group, Wellington Road, Eye, IP23 7HF	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
5 - 21 Apr	Swimming Family Offer & Teen Offer	Abbeycroft	Hadleigh Pool & Leisure Centre, Hadleigh, IP7 5BH	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
5 - 21 Apr	Swimming Family Offer & Teen Offer	Abbeycroft	Kingfisher Leisure Centre, Sudbury, CO10 2SU	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email HAF@acleisure.com Phone 01284 757495
7 - 17 Apr	Multi-activity holiday camp including sports, arts & crafts, nature, and team games.	TayPlay	Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket, IP14 1LH	Visit TayPlay's website Email info@tayplayactivitycamps.co.uk Phone 01284 757495
9 & 10 Apr	Youth Centre activities including, pool table, table football, video & board games, garden, music, dancing & chat	Eden’s Project	Sudbury Youth Centre, 45 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, CO10 2EU	Visit Eden Project's website Email info@edensproject.co.uk Phone 01787 375247
9, 10, 14, 16 & 17 Apr	Multi-sports, nerf, football, and dance camps	Maxim Sports	Cornard Leisure Centre, CO10 0JU	Visit Maxim Sport's website Email info@maximsportscoaching.co.uk Phone 07973 885971
8, 9, 10, 15 & 17 Apr	Multi-sports, nerf, football, and dance camps	Maxim Sports	Wells Hall Primary School, CO10 0NH	Visit Maxim Sport's website Email info@maximsportscoaching.co.uk Phone 07973 885971
11 Apr	Multi-sports, nerf, football, and dance camps	Maxim Sports	AFC Sudbury, CO10 7HN	Visit Maxim Sport's website Email info@maximsportscoaching.co.uk Phone 07973 885971
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday camp including crafts, baking, sports, swimming, and inflatables	School’s Out Activities	Ipswich High School, Woolverstone, Ipswich, IP9 1AZ	Visit School’s Out Activities’ website Email info@schoolsoutactivities.co.uk Phone 07931 988478
8, 11 & 12 Apr	Woodland based activity days, including traditional crafts, green wood work, bushcraft and archery	Queech Wood	Queech Wood, Hemingstone, Ipswich, IP6 0QF	Visit Queech Wood’s website Email neil@queechwood.co.uk Phone 07941 009256
7 - 17 Apr	Mario Kart, Arts & Crafts, Football, multi sports and Nerf Camps, Inflatable Fun.	Prestige Sports Development	Tudor Primary School, Tudor Road, Sudbury, CO10 1NL	Visit Prestige’s website Email info@prestigesportsdevelopment.co.uk Phone 07494 002352
7 & 8 Apr	Football and inflatables	Ipswich Town Foundation	Stowupland High School, Church Road, Stowupland, IP14 4BQ	Visit Ipswich Foundation’s website Email community@itfcfoundation.co.uk Phone 01473 400980
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday club involving themes for each day including spin art, Lego, arts and crafts, and science fun.	Woolpit ARC	Woolpit ARC, Heath Road, Woolpit, IP30 9RU	Visit Woolpit ARC’s website Email info@woolpitarc.org Phone 01359 245868
7 - 17 Apr	Holiday Club for 2-12 year olds, with games from tennis, badminton and swing ball to arts and crafts and treasure hunts	Sunflowers Childcare CIC	The Cabin, Stone Street Road, Boxford, CO10 5NP	Visit Sunflower Childcare’s website Email info@sunflowers-childcare.co.uk Phone 01787 211363

Become a provider

We were allocated £134,892.59 for the 2023-2024 Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

There are 2,349 means tested free school meal children in the district (March 2022 statistics).

How can I become a provider?

If you are interested in providing activities for us, then you will need to apply for funding by completing an online application.

If you are a new provider, please complete both Form A and Form B
If you have previously completed Form A within the last financial year - and have been approved - please complete Form B

Please see the deadlines for each application period:

Easter – application deadline 10 February 2025
Summer – application deadline 9 June 2025
Christmas – application deadline 20 October 2025

If you have any questions about the application process, please email HAFenquiries@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk

What are the requirements?

The requirements follow the Department for Education’s minimum standards, which include:

A school standard meal (ideally a hot meal)
Four hours of activities
One hour of physical activity
Some form of nutritional education
Providing signposting to families onto further services, if needed

Where can I learn more?

The Department for Education have published information about the HAF programme.

Suffolk InfoLink provide county HAF information
Search for a local food business
Planning and providing healthy food with School food standards
The government have published physical activity guidelines

How we use your information

We will use the information you provide only for the purpose of this grant funds application. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws. Please read our privacy policy for more information.