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 the Holiday Activities and Food Programme Team

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	Booking link
26 - 30 October	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 Kicks and Tricks Phone 01449 401630	Kicks and Tricks - Grace Cook Primary School (Eequ)
27, 28, 29 October	Holiday club involving multi-sports, arts, and crafts. 9am – 5pm (early drop-off and late pick-up available)	Kicks and Tricks	Debenham Sports and Leisure Centre, IP14 6BL	Visit Kicks and Tricks’ website Email Kicks and Tricks Phone 01449 401630	Kicks and Tricks - Debenham Sports & Leisure (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	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 Kicks and Tricks Phone 01449 401630	Kicks and Tricks - Beaumont Primary School (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	Multi-activity courses including a range of sports, activities, arts and crafts. For 5-12 year olds	Premier Education (Eye)	St Peter's and St Pauls Primary School, Church Street, Eye IP23 7BD	Visit Premier Education's website Email Premier Education Phone 01953 499040	Premier Education - St Peter & St Pauls (Eequ)
26 - 29 October	Multi-activity courses including a variety of sports, enriching activities, and arts and crafts	Premier Education (West Suffolk & Essex)	Thurston Academy Primary School, Pond Field Road, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds IP31 3FT	Visit Premier Education's website Email Premier Education Phone 07500 301043	Premier Education - Thurston Academy (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	Family swim session, and Playworld. Gymnastics, Roller Disco, Climbing and Junior Gym memberships	Everyone Active	Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket IP14 1LH	Visit Everyone Active's website Email harisharma@everyoneactive.com Phone 01449 674980	Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre (Everyone Active) (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	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 TayPlay Phone 01284 757495	TayPlay Mid Suffolk (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	Holiday club involving football, multi-sports, arts and crafts, mini chefs, dodgeball	Anglia Sports Management	Brantham Leisure Centre, Brantham CO11 1RZ	Visit Anglia Sports Management's website Email Anglia Sports Management Phone 01206 392506	Free Activity days at Brantham with Anglia Sports Management (Eequ)
27 October	Family Park Cooking, outdoor activity, and an outdoor cooking lesson using recipes from a local chef	Abbeycroft	1st Eye Scout Group, Wellington Road, Eye IP23 7HF	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email Abbeycroft Phone 01284 757495	Babergh & Mid Suffolk Holiday Activities (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	Swimming Family Offer & Teen Offer	Abbeycroft	Hadleigh Pool & Leisure Centre, Hadleigh IP7 5BH	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email Abbeycroft Phone 01284 757495	Abbeycroft - Hadleigh Pool & Leisure (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	Softplay and lunch	Abbeycroft	Kingfisher Leisure Centre, Sudbury CO10 2SU	Visit Abbeycroft's website Email Abbeycroft Phone 01284 757495	Abbeycroft - Kingfisher Leisure Centre (Eequ)
27, 28, 29 October	Multi-sports, nerf, football, and dance camps	Maxim Sports	Wells Hall Primary School, Great Cornard, CO10 0NH and Cornard Leisure Centre, Great Cornard CO10 0JU	Visit Maxim Sport's website Email Maxim Sport Phone 07973 885971	Maxim Sports Coaching (Eequ)
26 - 30 October	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 School's Out Phone 07931 988478	School's Out Activities - Ipswich (Eequ)
27 October	Woodland based activity days, including traditional crafts, green woodwork, bushcraft and archery	Queech Wood	Queech Wood, Hemingstone, Ipswich IP6 0QF	Visit Queech Wood’s website Email neil@queechwood.co.uk Phone 07941 009256	Queech Woodland Activities (Eequ)
26 - 29 October	Mario Kart, Arts & Crafts, Football, multi sports and Nerf Camps, Inflatable Fun	Prestige Sports Development	Acton Primary School, Lambert Drive, Acton CO10 0US	Visit Prestige’s website Email info@prestigesportsdevelopment.co.uk Phone 07494 002352	Prestige Sports Development (Eequ)
28 October	Creative theatre workshop and performing arts training for 4-13 year olds	Little Voices	Stowupland Village Hall, IP14 4BG	Visit Little Voice’s website Email evie@littlevoices.org.uk Phone 07362 429298	Little Voices Workshops (Eequ)
27 & 28 October	Football camp and inflatables	Ipswich Town Foundation	27– Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket IP14 1LH 28 - Stowupland Sports Centre, Church Road, Stowupland IP14 4BQ	Visit Ipswich Town Foundation’s website Email community@itfcfoundation.co.uk Phone 01473 400980	27 - Stowmarket Community Fun Day with Ipswich Town Foundation (Eequ) 28 - Football Holiday Camp - Stowupland with Ipswich Town Foundation (Eequ)
28 October	Creative workshops for 5-11 year olds	Creation Station	Capel St Mary Primary School, The Street, Capel St Mary, IP9 2EG	Visit Creation Station’s website Email fran.aldous@thecreationstation.co.uk Phone 07525 467007	Create Club Holiday Camps (Eequ)
29 October	“Paint & Sip” workshop for 11-16 year olds	Creation Station	Hadleigh Sea Scouts, Osborne Hall, Layham Road Sports Ground, Hadleigh IP7 5NE	Visit Creation Station’s website Email fran.aldous@thecreationstation.co.uk Phone 07525 467007	Paint & Sip Experience with The Creation Station South and East Ipswich · Eequ
26, 27, 28, 29 October	Holiday Club with games from tennis, badminton and swing ball to arts and crafts and treasure hunts	Sunflowers Childcare	The Cabin, Stone Street Road, Boxford CO10 5NP	Visit Sunflower Childcare’s website Email Sunflowers Childcare Phone 01787 211363	Sunflowers Childcare (Eequ)

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.