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A family learning food and play programme is helping to fill the gap and reduce families’ financial and emotional strain during the school holidays by running 32 ‘holiday kitchen’ programmes across the country throughout August.

Holiday Kitchen was launched in 2013 in Birmingham by the Accord Group, to offer free and affordable meals and activities that improve children's well-being and educational opportunities. The programme has become so successful it is now being rolled out nationwide, delivered in partnership with Family Action, a national charity that provides practical, emotional and financial support to families.

Dr Caroline Wolhuter, Head of Social Inclusion at the Accord Group, said: “While an idealised time for some, for many, including vulnerable low-income families, nursery and school holiday periods can be a time of stress, indebtedness and food poverty.

“On the last day of the school year, Holiday Kitchen welcomes today’s report from Kellogg’s that highlights the impact holidays have on the nutrition and wellbeing of low income families. During this time vulnerable and low income families are most at risk of food poverty associated with  less fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and oily fish intake; and an over-abundance of “junk” food.”

Kat Aukett, Assistant Director Services and Innovation at Family Action said: “We know long school holidays can prove stressful for families, especially for those on low-incomes. This summer, Holiday Kitchen will aim to relieve some of this stress by providing valuable holiday learning, food and play for hundreds of families across the country.”

Committed to addressing health and educational inequalities through a simple formula of Holiday learning, food and play for families who need it, Holiday Kitchen delivers quality assured eight day wellbeing programmes. Hosted in community settings and spread across 2-4 week holiday periods.

Holiday Kitchen engages families in play-based learning that promotes good nutrition, physical activity, creativity, social skills, communal eating, and cost effective cooking skills. These activities are complemented by breakfasts and community lunches that meet the Children’s Food Trust guidelines.

Since summer 2014 Holiday Kitchen has been developed in collaboration with national charity Family Action. With support and funds from Children in Need, Kellogg’s, the Greater Manchester Social Housing Partnership and Ongo, Holiday Kitchen will be delivering at least 7200 activity days with meals through 32 programmes this summer school holidays across Birmingham, the West Midlands, Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Greater Manchester.