ATF HAF
Providing children with memorable and life-long holiday experiences
Delivering a range of physical activity, enrichment and food education, ATF are one of the most successful providers within the holiday activity and food programme, engaging over 450 young people across their 10 clubs each day during the half term and holidays.
ATF takes an asset-based community development approach in order to embed their provision within the local community, engaging and supporting families to co-design what each club will look like. Children are involved in decision making including activities, menus and the timings of the clubs.
Experts in providing a safe, fun, educational and supportive environment using the to engage and support communities who often feel marginalised and left behind, ATF provides clubs in areas of high deprivation to children who receive benefit based free school meals. In order to keep consistency and build trusted relationships with local children and families, ATF also provide term time, weekly activities.
Funded by Department for Education and Essex County Council, some of the activities provided are rock-climbing, horse riding, fairground games, animal experiences, go-karting, ice skating, roller skating, skateboarding and much more, as well as day trips such as outdoor adventures and theatre shows.
The clubs are fully inclusive and engage primary and secondary aged children. Specialist clubs are also provided for young people who are in or are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system.
ATF engage and support the local community by offering unemployed residents’ opportunities through volunteering, training qualifications and occasional paid opportunities, as well as provide relationships with local partners including coaches, admin staff, promotions and catering.
They also have a young leaders programme, that gives local young people who are struggling with mental health or feeling socially isolated the chance to attend clubs as leaders. They receive training around safeguarding, mentoring and activity leadership to ensure they’re fully equipped to support qualified leaders in the HAF club delivery.
Through the delivery of HAF, ATF identified a need to provide further support to families and secured additional funding to develop community hubs in each of their localities. This provided residents with a safe place to get support around employment, cost of living and budgeting.
ATF also delivered the food education programme, supporting families of children who attend HAF clubs with skills, knowledge and equipment to cook nutritious, low-cost and healthy meals.
