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FIT AND FED PROGRAMME ARRIVES IN BIRMINGHAM TO FEED YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK OF ‘HOLIDAY HUNGER’
37% of UK teachers say their pupils are returning to school after the holiday with signs of malnourishment[1]
FITCAP (Fitness in the Community and Active Play) is bringing Fit and Fed to The Glebe, Birmingham, this summer. Fit and Fed is a nationwide campaign, led by the award-winning StreetGames charity, to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people at risk of holiday hunger, isolation, and inactivity. The programme will include multi-sport fitness activities such as short tennis, ultimate frisbee, football, basketball, dance and relay races.
The programme is dependent on donations from trusts and foundations, local authorities, businesses, politicians and kind-hearted members of the public. FITCAP is inviting residents and local businesses of Birmingham to continue supporting its programme so that it can expand to even more local neighborhoods and keep going beyond the summer.
The Fit and Fed campaign supports both the physical and social development of children and young people. Trials during this year’s February and May half terms, and the Easter holidays, have already made a difference, providing for 6,500 children and young people across the UK and giving that extra helping hand to families in need.
According to reports, a third of parents have skipped a meal so that their children could eat during the school holidays[2] and the UK experiences the highest levels of food insecurity in all of Europe[3]. The Trussell Trust gave out over 2,600 food parcels between April and September last year with a third of those going to children[4]. Up to 78% of the households that utilise food banks have experienced severe food insecurity in the past year, some going full days without eating[5]. Over the summer the Fit and Fed campaign will be feeding 12,000 children across over 100 local UK projects and the StreetGames charity is hoping to expand this programme even further.
Alison O’Connell MBE, CEO of FITCAP (Fitness in the Community and Active Play), said “Fit and Fed is an important campaign in Birmingham. In the UK, there are an estimated three million children that could experience holiday hunger this summer[6]. The projects we’ve run before have been a great success, the kids have loved it and had a really great time meeting new friends, playing sports and getting a good meal at the same time. The Fit and Fed programme would not be possible without the donations from members of the public and local businesses, and we hope we can continue growing the programme to help more local families.”
Those who wish to donate to the Fit and Fed programme can do so via the Fit and Fed JustGiving page - just Google ‘Fit and Fed JustGiving’ to find it. Businesses and members of the public can also fundraise by running a marathon or organising a quiz night. The donations received will help StreetGames to continue its programme beyond the summer and expand into even more neighbourhoods.
[1] “NUT survey on holiday hunger,” National Union of Teachers (NUT) survey, 2017.
[2] “Hungry Holidays: A report on hunger amongst children during school holiday,” APPG, 2017.
[3] “New evidence of child food insecurity in the UK,” The Food Foundation, 2017.
[4] “Financial insecurity, food insecurity, and disability,” The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network, 2017.
[5] “UK and Global Malnutrition: The New Normal,” The Food Foundation, 2017.
[6] “Hungry Holidays: A report on hunger amongst children during school holiday,” APPG, 2017.