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#SummerofFun

Published: 06/09/2021

Flintshire County Council saw many of its education and youth services team up with partners to put on an array of activities for Flintshire children and young people to give them a whole #SummerofFun as part of a Welsh Government initiative.

With £218,000 funding available for Flintshire, here are some of the fantastic activities which took place throughout the county.

Aura Libraries and Aura Sports Development ran the ‘Fit Fed and Read’ programme which gives children opportunities for physical activity and promote a healthy diet by providing healthy snacks.  Aura added a library element, focusing on reading and creativity.  Flintshire Sorted and Youth Justice Service were also at the sessions and engaged with over 800 young people during these sessions.

Susannah Hill of Aura Libraries said:

“We have been able to take our services out into our communities and engage with children and families across Flintshire, often engaging with families who may not naturally feel comfortable using libraries.  We hope we have broken down some barriers and shown our service is welcoming and for all.”

The Read offer provided time for families to spend some time together with library books, listening to stories, having a go at crafts and colouring and also for the children to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge ‘Wild World Heroes’. Over the 5 weeks, 600 children signed up to the Reading Challenge and Aura gave out around 800 books bags and free books.

Dan Williams from Aura Sports Development said:

“We delivered over 30 sessions, had over 3300 attendances across all sites and provided 1605 packed lunches.  We were able to provide such a wide range of activities for everyone to participate in from street dance to football and activities provided by partners for all ages.  The programme has been a phenomenal success and it was truly amazing to be a part of it!”

Flintshire Sorted ran sessions where over 100 young people participated in activities and discussions on the risks of substance use including alcohol, tobacco and energy drinks.   Through these sessions, 32 young people are now receiving additional support and many said they now had improved awareness of risks associated with drug and alcohol use and improved wellbeing.

The Inclusion and Progression team and Flintshire Sorted supported young people to try a variety of activities including:

• Pet First Aid, Horse Care and Rural Education providing fantastic practical skills and knowledge along with fun and confidence building.  The young people who did the Pet First Aid course received a qualification as well.  
• Making delicious cakes, meals and also crafts –candles, bookmarks and jam.
• Other activities included a trip to Theatr Clwyd, Rhug Farm Estate, climbing at the Board Room, making pottery and a trip to the beach. 

Flintshire County Council’s Leader, Councillor Ian Roberts, said:

“I was fortunate to visit one of the Fit, Fed and Read events and it was so good to see the children having fun and interacting with each other.  The last 18 months have been very difficult for everyone, not least our children and this funding from Welsh Government has been welcomed in Flintshire and put to very good use.

“I am amazed with the range of activities that our teams and our partners have been able to pull together to ensure that these young people have the best summer possible.  In some cases, not only have they been having fun, but many have gained qualifications useful for future college or work opportunities.

“It’s great to hear that young people have made new friends, learnt new skills and their confidence has grown dramatically.”

Theatr Clwyd in partnership with Flintshire Social Services ran a 3 week “summer hub” for 68 vulnerable children and young people. The hub involved artists from all different disciplines - drama, music, dance, set design, arts and film making working with the children.  All groups were able to perform their work at a celebration party. The theatre has become a second home for many young people over the past 18 months.

Other activities included:

• Flintshire Integrated Youth Provision provided drop in wellbeing sessions for young people aged between 11 and 25 at Wepre Park. Each session attracted over 25 young people taking part in planned programmes of arts and craft activities, fun sporting activities and mindfulness and wellbeing sessions. 
• Our well established play schemes which run throughout the County also benefitted from funding which allowed them to run additional sessions for children with disabilities.  Overall, over 2,700 children aged 5 -12 years registered to attend the 1,055 play sessions across the county.  

The Welsh Government’s £5m Summer of Fun project provides a range of free leisure, recreational, sporting and cultural activities for children and young people aged 0-25 to help support their social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. The three main objectives of the Summer of Fun are:

·         supporting fun and the opportunity for children and young people to express themselves through play;

·         community based interactive, creative and play-based initiatives for all ages and;

·         providing opportunities to play with friends and peers.