Southwick holiday club supports struggling families

A summer club run by a Salvation Army family centre in Sunderland provided youngsters with a range of exciting activities and days out to help families who struggle with costs over the holidays.

With funding from Sunderland City Council’s Together for Children and support from community partnership SARA (Southwick Altogether Raising Aspirations), Austin House Family Centre ran the club three days a week throughout the six-week holiday offering free activities and lunches for more than 30 children. 

Activities included trampolining, football, a trip to a farm, a day trip to Scarborough and visits to Beacon of Light, a community football ground linked to Sunderland AFC, which works closely with The Salvation Army. 

Janine Wharton, Family Worker at Austin House, said: “These kids get lots of experiences they wouldn’t get otherwise and we can see how much fun they have at the holiday club.  

“Many of the children who come are from deprived backgrounds or in receipt of free school meals so the pressure of the cost of summer holidays can cause a lot of worry for parents. The club we run is free, it is on three days a week and the children get their lunches and snacks provided, which helps ease the burden for parents.” 

The club ran from 11am to 3pm with an average attendance of between 25 to 35 children for each session, many of them will also attend breakfast and afterschool clubs at Austin House throughout the year.

Janine continued: “A lot of the activities were focused on being healthy. We visited a local sports centre which had trampolines and soft play equipment and had community group Keep Active arrange different sports like football and archery for them. They also helped them make their own healthy meals like chicken wraps and fruit skewers. They were delighted with what they’d made so we took lots of pictures to share with parents.

“We also had football and games at the Beacon of Light, a community hub associated with Foundation of Light, the charity arm of Sunderland AFC. They organised all sorts of activities like street dance and sports on the field. The children got to see Sunderland AFC memorabilia, they tried on football shirts from players past and present and saw the statue of Bob Stokoe, a former manager and one of the city’s heroes. The Beacon was built on a former mining pit so they got to learn about the history and culture of the city. That was another great experience for them. 

“There was a trip to a farm on the outskirts of the city so they saw lots of animals and got to play. That was a lovely day out with more than 30 children attending.” 

The club is aimed at primary school age children, but Austin House also ran regular bike rides through Hamsterley forest for older children as part of The Salvation Army’s Starfish project, a mentoring programme for children aged nine to 16. 

To top it off, there was a day out to Scarborough with more than 100 people of all ages who are linked to Austin House able to attend including children and families, older people and people with additional needs as well as two community fun days held at Austin House. 

Graham Wharton, Community Manager at Austin House, said: “We are grateful to Sunderland City Council and all of the partners that provide funding and support so we can run these activities and help the families in our community throughout the holidays. 

“For those struggling financially it is a lifeline, these activities alone would be expensive especially if they are taking more than one child so they really do get a wide range of experiences for free. One of the other major benefits is the relationship building, the support of volunteers and the coming together of the community. Many of the parents will be volunteering, making a difference and feeling like part of our family when they put that Salvation Army t-shirt on.” 

Two community days were also held bringing hundreds of people together.

Vicki Neal, Community Engagement Worker for Southwick Altogether Raising Aspirations (SARA), said: “The best part of the HAF (holiday activities and food) project are our two free community days where we bring the whole community together to have fun. 

“We also gave out 300 free healthy hot meals to children which is very important during the school holidays to ensure the children have something to eat. We had activities including a climbing wall, cave, magician, trampolines, softplay, ball pit, giant inflatable slide, farm animals, 100ft inflatable assault course, tea cup rides, swing ball, giant games and learn to ride a bike sessions. Our fun days get bigger and better each year and we are looking forward to planning the next.”