Bromley’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme annual report

Geographical spread

Through data analysis The HAF Team mapped out the key areas of focus throughout the borough via the Bromley which remain to be the following wards: St Mary Cray, St Pauls Cray, Crystal Palace, and Anerley, Mottingham and Orpington.

Whilst Bromley has pockets of deprivation across the area of a generally affluent borough, the eligible cohort increased in 2024 and it is imperative for a successful programme to ensure an even spread of provision is available across the local area.

Food

In 2024, we estimate to have provided over 24,000 meals, which were healthy, filling, and enjoyable. Each provider offered at least one nutritious meal during each session, with a large number offering additional food in the form of snacks or breakfast. This was due to an increase in children and young people turning up to provision and noting that they were hungry.

Providers linked with local foodbanks, food waste distribution organisations and charities to further support families with their food offer.

Providers again in 2024, reported an increase in children and young people requesting second and even third helpings of food and parents and carers requesting for support with food every year since the programme’s commencement.

The local authority continues to work in close partnership with public health colleagues and the food safety team to support providers in meeting the programme requirement of food provision and nutritional education. We have an established and formal process for our providers and any food catering organisations they work with to sign up to Bromley’s Food Safety Team. The Food Safety Team review the organisations and arrange food safety inspections where required. Again in 2024, all our providers that cooked the meals on site received either a 4- or 5-star food hygiene rating which highlights the standard of meals being provided.

Nutritional education

Our providers continued to seek unique and entertaining ways to implement Nutritional Education to our children, young people, and their families and we were impressed by how our new providers incorporate this into some of the more unique activities we offered. Providers put on educational talks with parents and carers, coffee afternoons, and involved local communities in building relationships with our families.

Educational learning was linked with cultural and national days throughout the year and furthermore, trips to local garden centres, horticultural societies and allotments supported their understanding of where our food comes from. Blindfolded taste testing, smoothie making, and cooking were methods utilised to develop attendees understanding of different tastes and food groups and made the educational aspect more interesting.

One provider created a serious of connected science workshops which taught young people how food is digested and the relevance of the nutrition by demonstrating how our bodies absorb nutrients from the food we eat.

Our providers encourage HAF attendees to cook and make food to teach them life skills as well as give them an understanding of how with a few ingredients you can create a nutritious and filling meal.

Enriching activities

The diverse range of enriching activities offered in 2024 was a programme strength in Bromley. Children and young people engaged in a wide spectrum of creative pursuits such as arts and crafts, painting, pottery and music classes. Sporting pursuits such as football sessions run by Bromley FC, tennis lessons, boxing and martial arts were well attended. As well as STEM activities such as electric race car driving and electrical engineering and young inventor classes.

Moreover, we encouraged opportunities for learning and personal development through activities such as First Aid training and financial-learning sessions. For our older cohort this was learning about student loans, credit card debt and bank accounts and for our younger cohort this was learning around how to save.

Trips to places such as the beach, the farm, the circus and pantomime gave our children and young people opportunities that they may otherwise wouldn’t have. With one parent/carer noting after her child went to the pantomime that it made her feel like ‘a better parent’ as her child, when attending HAF, doesn’t miss out the things her classmates get to do.