A family who have been able to access activities at a Hammerwich riding school have hailed the impact of a summer holiday scheme.
Marley, 12, and Macie J McFarlane, six, have been attending the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme run by Staffordshire County Council since it launched in 2021.
It aims to support families by providing sessions and a healthy meal during the school holidays.
The sisters have been learning how to ride and care for ponies at Gartmore Riding School.
Their mother Naomi said:
“The HAF programme has been brilliant for my family. We’ve been taking part for over a year now and we thoroughly enjoy it.
“It has brought us closer together and we love doing the different activities as a family.
“The programme has really benefited the girls. Marley has grown in confidence, made new friends and really loves helping out around the riding school. She’s also now an accredited volunteer, which is great.
“Macie-J just loves being around the horses. I’m really proud of both of them.
“Even though I work part time, being a single parent bringing up two children and with the rising cost of living, it’s a real challenge. Having access to a programme like this where children get to do positive activities and a healthy meal during the school holidays is a life saver and takes some of the worries away. I’d definitely recommend it to other families.”
Naomi McFarlane
Funded by the Department for Education, the scheme sees eligible children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals able to access different activities.
Julia Hardisty, riding coach at Gartmore Riding School said:
“Being involved in the HAF programme has been fantastic for us. Not only has it given us the opportunity to share our own passion and enthusiasm for horse riding, but it’s also meant we’ve seen lots of new families come through our doors.
“For many of the families, accessing horse riding may not have been possible if it wasn’t for the HAF programme but to see the difference in the children after a few sessions is always wonderful.”
Julia Hardisty, Gartmore Riding School
Children are offered up to 16 places over the summer, with sessions running for up to four hours a day, four days a week over four weeks.
Cllr Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said:
“The HAF programme is an essential scheme for many families and it’s great to see the positive impact it’s having on their lives.
“The school holidays can be particularly difficult for some families because of increased costs, such as food and reduced incomes but the programme helps make sure that children have access to healthy food and positive activities.
“Working closely with local providers, we are able to offer a wide range of activities from horse riding to dodgeball, fencing, arts and craft classes and swimming.
“Since the scheme launched in summer 2021, more than 70,000 free places have been made available with a further 47,000 during this summer holiday.”
Cllr Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council
