Holiday Activity and Food Programme
Overview
Summary, notice description and lot information
Cheshire East Council has awarded contracts for the "Holiday Activity and Food Programme" aimed at delivering face-to-face school holiday activities across Cheshire East. This initiative falls under the public authority's sub-central government category and involves providing services such as children's holiday-camp, school-meal, and social work services without accommodation. The procurement method was an open, below-threshold competition, ensuring a wide pool of potential bidders.
The programme, active from 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026, focuses on creating safe, nurturing environments with nutritious meals and varied activities for young people during school holidays. The key locations include Crewe and the wider Cheshire East region, with awarded lots completed to suit varying levels of service provision, including general and specialist HAF provisions that cater to SEND and teen activities. The Holiday Activity and Food Programme opens significant avenues for business growth, particularly for SMEs or organisations specialising in children's services and nutritional education.
Businesses that offer creative, sports-based, STEM, or nature-focused activities will find this programme particularly advantageous for expanding service offerings in Cheshire East. The emphasis on providing enriching social services and educational experiences also aligns well with VCSE organisations aiming to contribute to community well-being. With specified provision costs for general and specialist lots, providers have the potential to secure funding per session, creating a competitive yet rewarding opportunity to make a positive impact while growing their business.
Cheshire East Council is seeking to commission a number of providers to deliver face to face school holiday activities for young people in Cheshire East. The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is a 'Department for Education' (DfE) initiative enabling local authorities to coordinate a programme that provides school age young people between the ages of 4 - 16, and up to age 18 for eligible SEND young people, with healthy food and enriching activities during the summer and winter holidays. These school holiday activities provide young people with:
- positive and safe things to do and places to go
- the opportunity to spend time with friends, to develop personally and socially, and reduce isolation
- the chance to undertake new activities and have new experiences As a result of this programme, we want to ensure that the young people who participate in this programme receive the following:
- a safe environment
- nutritious meals (improving their knowledge of health and nutrition)
- engaging, enriching and physical activities which support the development of resilience, health and wellbeing
- fun and friendly interaction
- encouragement and signposting towards additional services and support available to them
- a chance to develop new skills
- have new experiences For LOT 1 and LOT 2 provisions providers are expected to deliver the entirety of their programme in line with grant conditions.
This includes exciting, enriching and physical activities for young people, which are expected to be face-to-face. Provisions need to be inclusive and meet additional needs where appropriate within the scope of their funding/expertise. Providers are also expected to provide nutritional education and food education in addition to supporting families with appropriate sign posting to other services and or making referrals where appropriate.
We want to ensure that the young people who participate in this programme receive the following: * a safe environment * nutritious meals (improving their knowledge of health and nutrition) * engaging, enriching and physical activities which support the development of resilience, health and wellbeing * fun and friendly interaction * encouragement and signposting towards additional services and support available to them * a chance to develop new skills * have new experiences LOT 1 provisions providers are expected to deliver the entirety of their programme in line with grant conditions. This includes exciting, enriching and physical activities for young people, which are expected to be face-to-face. Provisions need to be inclusive and meet additional needs where appropriate within the scope of their funding/expertise. Providers are also expected to provide nutritional education and food education in addition to supporting families with appropriate sign posting to other services and or making referrals where appropriate. Providers must supply young people with at least one meal a day (breakfast, lunch or tea) and all food provided at the holiday club (including snacks) must meet school food standards. LOT 1 funding has a maximum funding cost of PS21.00 per session per child
We want to ensure that the young people who participate in this programme receive the following: * a safe environment * nutritious meals (improving their knowledge of health and nutrition) * engaging, enriching and physical activities which support the development of resilience, health and wellbeing * fun and friendly interaction * encouragement and signposting towards additional services and support available to them * a chance to develop new skills * have new experiences LOT 2 provisions providers are expected to deliver the entirety of their programme in line with grant conditions. This includes exciting, enriching and physical activities for young people, which are expected to be face-to-face. Provisions need to be inclusive and meet additional needs where appropriate within the scope of their funding/expertise. Providers are also expected to provide nutritional education and food education in addition to supporting families with appropriate sign posting to other services and or making referrals where appropriate. Providers must supply young people with at least one meal a day (breakfast, lunch or tea) and all food provided at the holiday club (including snacks) must meet school food standards. LOT 2 is restricted to applications for specialist provision e.g., SEND, teen. LOT 2 provides access to higher individual session costings to reflect the additional costing/provision that may be needed to support these groups of young people. LOT 2 provision can exceed PS21.00 per session per child but costs must be justified.
Procurement Classification
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The contract period is one year.
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Awarded Supplier
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