Cooking up a Storm for City Kids this summer

Over 2,600 Gloucestershire children and their families will be given three days of meals each week during August, thanks to a partnership between The Venture: White City, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, Gloucester City Council, GL4 CIC, Thomas Franks Feeding Communities and The King’s School, Gloucester.

Inspired by footballer Marcus Rashford’s high profile campaign, and funded by the Department for Education, the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will offer healthy food and enriching activities to children throughout the summer in every local authority in England.

The ‘Holiday Activities and Food’ or HAF programme will provide over 10,000 meals for Gloucestershire families and involves the use of The King’s School’s kitchen and catering equipment, Thomas Franks’ chefs and ingredients, the project is led by The Venture: White City in collaboration with Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and other community partners.

Dawn Barnes, Project Manager at The Venture: White City who is driving the programme said: “Following on from the success of our Easter HAF project where we distributed over 5,000 home cooking kits and 4,000 activity packs we are back this summer with a programme aimed at encouraging families to get out, get active, get creative and have fun!  

“We are working with 20 local partners to deliver open access play sessions in parks and open spaces across the City. We are encouraging families to come along and take part in the wide range of activities we have on offer and then join us for lunch. We also plan to give out our popular diy picnic bags and home cooking kits - these were a big hit at Easter. We are excited to connect with our local communities and enjoy a summer of being outdoors.”

George Skivington, Head Coach at Gloucester Rugby, is also showed his support for the project. With Gloucester Rugby being one of the most important focus points for the local community in the city, George was pleased to lend his support and hear all about the plans.

David Morton, Headmaster at The King’s School, commented, “As a longstanding part of the Gloucestershire community, King’s is very pleased to be able to support this initiative by acting as a hub to link these wonderful organisations together. We will offer our kitchens and campus free of charge to facilitate this essential project which offers a life-line to many Gloucester families over the holidays.”

Photo from left to right: Leanne Purnell, Gloucester City Council; Sarah O’Donnell, GL4 CIC; Ian Foster, Chef at Thomas Franks; Dawn Barnes, Project Manager at The Venture: White City; George Skivington, Head Coach, Gloucester Rugby; Clare Skivington, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust; Stuart Howard, Thomas Franks Feeding Communities; Raj Singh, Thomas Franks; David Morton, Headmaster at The King’s School.