Thousands of children are expected to take part in free summer holiday activities this summer.
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 jam coding and digital skills for eight to 11-year-olds, West End workshops, Mucho Gusto – language-learning activities and games to help children learn Spanish, sport sessions, nature walks and much more. Sessions begin on Monday, 25 July and end on Friday, 2 September.
Children attending receive a healthy 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 at Easter.
The sessions are delivered by a diverse range of more than 40 providers including Medway Sport, Medway Youth Service, The Street Soccer Foundation, Fuzion Active, Icon Theatre, Challenger Troop, Jimmy's Tennis and many more.
Parents and carers are encouraged to visit the Medway Go website to find out more about the sessions. The website also includes fun activity ideas and healthy recipes for the whole family to enjoy.
Suited to children's interests
Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder covering Public Health, Cllr David Brake said: “I am delighted that we are offering MedwayGo sessions once again this summer. We have a wide range of exciting activities on offer. These include skateboarding, football, swimming, snowboarding and tobogganing. Children and young people are sure to find a number of sessions to suit their interests. Thousands of local children have taken part in MedwayGo before and I have seen first-hand how much fun they have. I would encourage parents and carers to find out more about our wide ranging programme.”
Become more active and try new things
Cllr Josie Iles, Medway Council’s Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “We understand that the summer holidays can put pressure on families with lower incomes. I am pleased that we are continuing to offer these fantastic free activity sessions which support children and families on benefits related free school meals. As well as providing a healthy meal, the sessions encourage children to have fun, become more active and learn new things. MedwayGo supports our aspiration to become a child-friendly city – providing more opportunities for our children and young people.”
MedwayGo
Find out more information about MedwayGo.
If residents are unable to access MedwayGo, they are encouraged to apply for support from the Household Support Fund.