A better Medway
Published: Thursday, 21st April 2022

More than 1,300 children took part in free school activities during the Easter holidays.

Last year we received £1.1million government funding to offer activities, and lunches, to children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals during the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays in 2021 and 2022. We have also secured additional government funding for the sessions until March 2025.

MedwayGo offers a broad range of activities, clubs and events for children aged five to 16 including physical activities such as sport, dance and nature walks, enrichment activities including arts and crafts, learning about food nutrition and wellbeing.

Children attending receive a hot nutritious meal, made to school food standards, ensuring children have a healthy balanced meal as they would during the school day.

More than 4,400 children have taken part in MedwayGo, since it began in summer 2021, with more than 1,300 children and young people taking part in over 110 different activity sessions this Easter. The sessions were delivered by more than 30 providers including Medway Sport, Medway Youth Service, Fuzion Active and Street Soccer Foundation.

MedwayGo will return during the summer holidays. The website also includes fun activity ideas and healthy recipes for the whole family to enjoy.

Cllr David Brake, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder covering Public Health, visited one of the sessions at Challenger Troop in Rochester last week. The organisation supports and enables young people to become confident individuals through their programmes which are designed to build resilience, respect, courage, loyalty and integrity through a military ethos style. At the session Cllr Brake attended, the young people took part in wall climbing.

Fantastic range of activities on offer

Cllr Brake said: “I was delighted to speak to children during my visit to Challenger Troop last week and hear how much they were enjoying our MedwayGo sessions. We have a fantastic range of exciting and unusual activities on offer for our young people to take part in including visits to The Fenn Bell Conservation Project, archery at the Medieval Knight School in the grounds of Rochester Castle and musical theatre at The Brook Theatre. I am delighted that more than 4,400 children and young people have taken part so far and I would encourage residents to find out more about the activities on offer this summer.”

Making Medway even more child-friendly

Cllr Josie Iles, Medway Council’s Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “We know that school holidays can cause pressures for families on lower incomes, so I am pleased that we’re continuing to provide free activity sessions and hot meals for children on benefits-related free school meals. Our MedwayGo sessions provide fantastic opportunities for children and young people to socialise, get more active and have fun and supports our aspiration to make Medway even more child-friendly.

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