Holiday hunger scheme piloted in Wrexham to be rolled out across Wales

A pilot scheme tackling food poverty and holiday hunger will return again this year – with Welsh Government funding increasing from £100,000 to £1m.

Last year the Holiday Hunger Playworks Pilot provided food provision in areas with the highest level of deprivation, including Wrexham, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil.

The pilot which ran in 2019, provided over 13,000 meals across 98 sites, during the school summer and October half term holidays. This year the scheme will be able to run in all holidays from Easter 2020 to February half term 2021. It’s hoped that tens of thousands more children will be fed thanks to the extra funding.

Yesterday the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Julie Morgan, confirmed the scheme will return and announced that additional funding for this year’s provision will be offered to all local authorities in Wales.

An evaluation of the pilot shows that nearly half of the children surveyed said they felt less hungry after attending a Holiday Hunger session. Many also said they tried new foods, and nearly one in four children said they ate more fruit and vegetables.

Alongside providing food the evaluation found that children drunk more water, exercised more and nearly three quarters said they tried a new activity.

Julie Morgan, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, said: “School holidays can bring many challenges to families.

“The Holiday Hunger pilot has shown how bringing together nutritious food and rich play opportunities can have a positive effect on children.

“The pilot has proven to be a successful and I’m delighted that we have been able to increase the funding to £1m, which means this year we can help even more families across Wales.”