HAPpy Camps are Back Again this Winter

Hertfordshire County Council is funding free winter activity camps for children and young people in Hertfordshire.

Fully funded holiday activity camps return for the Christmas break, giving eligible children and young people a chance to meet friends, learn new skills and enjoy nutritious food.

The HAPpy programme, funded by Hertfordshire County Council via the Department for Education’s Holiday Activity and Food programme is running more than 100 activity camps from 22 December 2023 until 4 January 2024. It is coordinated by Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership and the Hertfordshire Community Foundation.

With nearly 9,000 free activity camp places available, eligible families are being encouraged to get their booking code from their school and reserve a place at a camp near them as soon as booking opens on Wednesday 22 November.

As part of its commitment to help residents manage the cost of living, Hertfordshire County Council provided funding for more than 40,000 places at free activity camps during the summer holidays.

‘Our HAPpy camps are really popular with families,’ said Councillor Fiona Thomson, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families at Hertfordshire County Council, who visited several of the camps this year. ‘It’s all about working together with partners to make sure that children and young people in Hertfordshire can have fun, enjoy the activities and at the same time get a nutritious hot meal in a warm welcoming space this winter.’

Children who are in school years Reception to Year 11, who attend a Hertfordshire school and are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals can attend the HAPpy camps. Eligible families should already have been given their booking code from their school. Parents/carers who have not received the code should contact their school office. They can book their free place at a camp near them by visiting https://sportinherts.org.uk/happy-activity-camps.

Hertfordshire County Council, through funding from the Household Support Fund, also provides food vouchers during holiday periods to eligible families which are distributed through schools.

The council has dedicated advice and support for those who need it this winter. For more information, visit: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/withyou.