A COMMUNITY-BASED programme, hoping to kick 'holiday hunger and physical inactivity' among children in the community to the kerb, held a football summer session on Tuesday despite the heat.
An event organised by Newport County AFC’s charity 'County in the Community' was held at Lliswerry Pond in Newport on Tuesday, July 30, as a community-led approach to some of the issues families face over the summer break such as hunger and physical inactivity.
The 'Fit and Fed' programme, in partnership with StreetGames, has been delivered to local communities in Alway, Ringland and Barrackswood for years in a bid to tackle 'holiday hunger and physical inactivity' while children are out of school during the holidays.
Norman Parselle, chief executive of County in the Community, said the programme began before the Covid-19 pandemic and stemmed from a need to deliver provision to children and young people outside of term time.
Mr Parselle said Alway, Ringland and Barrackswood were chosen as they are part of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) areas where more provision was necessary in a safe environment in the Newport community.
The project is held "without stigma," with free healthy lunches distributed as a standard part of the sessions, including water, fruit and wraps offered by community champion at Tesco Extra in Spytty Retail Park, Danielle.
Speaking about the visit on Tuesday, John Griffiths MS, who attended the session at Lliswerry Pond, said: “I always enjoy seeing the fantastic work County in the Community are doing to help improve the lives of not just our young people, but for individuals of all ages.
"For several summers now I have been visiting their “Fit and Fed” programmes which are doing some very important work to support youngsters and their wider families during the holiday time.
“Sport can help our young people form good habits from an early age, but it also can be a powerful vehicle to improve their lives for the better.
"The team at County in the Community team deserve enormous credit for everything they do, in the school holidays, but also in term time as well.”
Mr Parselle said staff and volunteers support the programme and with activities, where they have had between 40 to 100 youngsters attending the activities.
He added that the sessions are reliable which is why people return, as the only times they don't run sessions are during extreme weather events such as thunder or snow where safety is prioritised.
The 'Fit and Fed' programme also takes young people on trips to places such as BBC studios, St. Fagan's National Museum of History, and many other places.
Norman Parselle said he believes 'the children and parents vote with their feet,' meaning if it wasn't well-received, they would not return. He said, "they keep coming back, so we've got to make sure there's enough to provide for them."
Mr Parselle said the group is "very lucky" to be able to offer the programme to more youngsters through support from London-based The Feathers Association, Tesco Extra in Newport's Spytty Retail Park and Newport City Council's 'Whatimpact' and Participatory Budgeting grants.
Those who would like to register for the Summer Fit & Fed programme can get in contact with Liam Jenkins via email on liam.jenkins@newport-county.co.uk or phone 01633 251246.
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