Free activities during school holidays for families who need support

12 Dec 2025

With the school holidays a week away, children from families in need of support can book onto discretionary places for free activities coordinated by West Suffolk Council.

The national Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is primarily aimed at children under 16s who receive benefits related free school meals. The Government funded scheme was set up to help support them during the school holidays when they may not otherwise get a hot meal. Eligible families should have already received information through their school or college.

The HAF programme is coordinated locally by West Suffolk Council on behalf of Suffolk County Council. West Suffolk is making free discretionary places available to the children of other families in need of support who would otherwise be ineligible for HAF. These discretionary places are limited and will be decided by Suffolk County Council on a first come first served basis.

The winter programme in West Suffolk includes swimming, various sports, arts and crafts, roller skating, outdoor cooking and more.

West Suffolk Council is working with 17 partner organisations to offer a total of 1,349 places across 92 sessions during the school holidays. If transport is an issue, Suffolk County Council may be able to help - families are asked to contact HAFenquiries@suffolk.gov.uk  

Cllr Donna Higgins, West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for Families and Communities said: “We recognise that there are families in West Suffolk who are struggling with the cost of living. Extending the availability of free activities under the Government’s HAF scheme is just one of the ways that West Suffolk Council is working to support them through a challenging time in their lives.

“Next week will see Council discuss recommendations to provide council tax relief to some of the lowest income households in West Suffolk.

“We have used money allocated to the council from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support venues in towns and villages across West Suffolk in providing a warm space where residents can meet, reducing isolation and loneliness as well as their daytime heating costs.

“But we are also committed to helping people, including working households, out of poverty.

“We recently launched the council’s Financial Inclusion Service which aims to work with families, pensioners and other households to help them both save money and maximise their income.

“We are also supporting work to help people out of food poverty through the Building Resilience and Nutrition Fund.”

“Our Thriving Communities Fund has backed work by community, charity and voluntary organisations to help people across West Suffolk improve their finances, cut bills and negotiate on debts.

“And through our grant agreement with Citizen’s Advice West Suffolk, we are also working together to support people who struggling with money, heating costs, poor quality housing, health and more.”

Families with children on benefits related free school meals should have already received information through their school or college about HAF. Booking is through an online platform called Eequ  which details all the HAF activities across Suffolk. Schools have also been given information to help any parents who cannot access online to book.

Families in West Suffolk who are ineligible for HAF but who need support, should contact the activity provider for the activities that they are interested in to ask about discretionary places. Contact details can be seen on the Eequ link and the council’s #westsuffolkwinterhaf25 posts on Facebook and Instagram.

---