SCHOOL may be out for summer but do not think it has been a case of kicking back and taking it easy.
For sports coaches have been putting some of the most needy through their paces while helping tackle the problem of food poverty.
Some 9,554 young people in Tameside receive free school meals and they were offered free places on a holiday club ran by Inspire Sports Coaching.
Buckton Vale Primary in Carrbrook has seen sessions put on after a grant from Active Tameside was secured. Headteacher Deborah Brown was very keen for the holiday club to go ahead.
However, it has not all about keeping people active over summer, although that was a huge part of it.
Breakfast, lunch, snacks and food hampers for the evening meal have also been provided.
A dietitian and counsellor have also been on hand to hopefully improve health and wellbeing through sport and lifestyle education to help develop pathways for learning and an increased knowledge of healthy eating have also been available.
Wayne Williams, of Inspire Sports Coaching, said: “We are passionate about fighting food poverty.
“The aim of offering free holiday club places to children on free school meals was to engage these young people socially, to keep them active and to provide them with free food during the school holidays when we know families struggle.
“Our menu of snacks has been planned and supported by a paediatric dietitian, to ensure it helps meet nutritional requirements.”
Inspire has been offering yoga and mindfulness sessions to improve emotional health.
Wayne added: “We’ve had an amazing uptake of the free school meal places and the feedback from the children and parents has been fantastic.”
Deborah said: “This summer, after what has been the most challenging of times for our parents – many of whom are key workers, we decided to offer a summer sports camp.
“Inspire Sports Coaching have offered places to not just Buckton Vale children but to children across the local community. It has been a tremendous success.
“We were lucky enough to get a very small pot of funding to support those who might find paying for such a resource difficult. Enabling us to offer 15 places to our most vulnerable children.
“Next year, we plan to continue to offer holiday provision and hope to be successful in obtaining further funding to ensure we are offering this resource to those that need it the most.
“I am very grateful to the Inspire Sports coaching team all of whom have worked incredibly hard.”