Summer 2026 HAF – FREE Healthy Futures Holiday Club

Summer 2026 HAF: Join MEaP, GIFT & Highway Hope for a Fun, Healthy Summer Holiday Club!

Following the incredible success of our very first Healthy Futures Holiday Club during the Easter break, Making Education a Priority (MEaP) is thrilled to announce that we are back for the summer 2026. The programme is supported by the government-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) initiative and managed by MCRActive, on behalf of Manchester City Council.

Collaborating once again with our amazing and long-time consortium partners Grace Incorporation Foundation Trust (GIFT) at their venue in Fallowfield as well as Highway Hope, we are launching a vibrant, supportive, and active summer camp experience for young people across Manchester.

We know that the long summer school holidays can be a tough, stressful time for families managing the rising cost of living. Our mission is to ease that gap by offering a free, safe, welcoming, and exciting space where young people can thrive, stay active, and eat well.

What can you get at our Summer 2026 HAF?

Our fully funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) club is designed specifically for young people aged 5 to 16 who are eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals (FSM).

Don’t just take our word for it—here is what local parents had to say about our April club:

“My  kids loved it!
“My daughter keeps asking when you’ll be running the next one!”
“I was just really impressed that my two kids wanted to stay when we visited and said they had a great time when I picked them up”

Everything You Need to Know about Summer 2026

Our four-week summer camp is structured to give your children consistency, routine, and a massive amount of fun.
📅 Dates: Monday 27th July to Thursday 20th August 2026 (4-week programme)
⏰ Schedule: Mondays through Thursdays each week
📍 Places: Limited to 20 spaces per day to make sure every child gets high-quality, focused care
🍲 Food: A completely free, delicious, and healthy hot meal served every single day.

What a Day at Summer 2026 HAF looks like: Our Flexible Daily Schedule

Every day is mapped out to provide a balanced mix of structured education, creative enrichment, and physical lifestyle training. Our plans are designed to be completely flexible, meaning our staff can easily adapt activities based on the daily weather, venue, and your children’s needs. For example:

🎨 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Creative Enrichment (Ages 5-11 and 12-16)

We kick off the morning by exploring identity and self-esteem through hands-on arts and crafts. Children use vibrant paints and coloured pens to design custom name cards filled with positive words about themselves, alongside custom sticker-decorated greeting cards to take home.

🍓 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Nutrition Time

Healthy eating becomes an interactive game! Young people build their own fresh fruit skewers using seasonal fruits while exploring the distinct health and energy benefits of vitamins and minerals.

⚽ 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Physical Activity

We ensure every child gets moving daily with targeted exercise:

• Ages 5-11: The ‘Move Like…’ fitness circuit. Children leap through stations mimicking animals (like frog jumps, bear crawls, and cheetah sprints) broken up by fun, bite-sized facts about how movement helps the body.
• Ages 12-16: A sports taster carousel. Teens cycle through fast-paced 15-minute rotations of basketball skills, athletics drills, and dodgeball games, finishing with a group vote on their favourite sport.

🧘 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Wellbeing, Kindness & Community

We close the afternoon with a group reflection where children share what they enjoyed most. Everyone contributes to our interactive ‘Hopes for the Week’ post-it board to log what they wish to learn next, emphasizing kindness and local community building.

How to Book Your Child’s Free Place on our Summer 2026 HAF

Spaces are highly limited to 20 children per day and will fill up very quickly!

Eligible FSM Families:

Parents must book directly online using the official MCRactive Portal.

• Please make sure your child is registered for benefits-related FSM before booking.
• Non-Eligible FSM Families: If your child does not qualify for free school meals but you still need holiday childcare support, you can request to join our waiting list. Please email our team at through our contact form to check for open availability.

Secure your child’s spot today and let’s make Summer HAF 2026 an unforgettable season of growth, friendship, and health!

The programme is supported by the government-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) initiative and managed by MCRActive, on behalf of Manchester City Council. See https://www.manchester.gov.uk/people-and-communities/holiday-activities-and-food-programme-2026-grant, https://mcractive.com/haf/.