Fit and FedStreetGames WalesSummer 2019

HOLIDAY HUNGER IN WALESOver 200,000 children and young people are now living in poverty in Wales - a figure that equates to roughly 1 in every 3 young people.

The school holidays can put a severe strain on low-income families. The loss of free school meals (FSM), coupled with the rising costs of food, childcare and holiday activities leave many young families struggling to cope. For some, this may mean subsisting on a poor, or highly restricted diet, or even skipping some meals entirely.¹

There is also evidence to suggest that the situation is worsening. According to data released by The Trussell Trust covering the period of 2018-2019, there was a 15% increase in emergency 3-day food supplies being provided to families in crisis. This equates to more than 14,000 additional packages, for a sum total of 113,000 delivered over the course of the year - a new record high.2

This type of poor diet can have a profound effect on young people's health and wellbeing, both at the

physical and emotional level. Many schools find that their poorer pupils return from holidays in worse physical and/or emotional condition than before they left, and are therefore unprepared to learn.3

A recent research paper conducted by Cardiff University4, which looked at young people's experiences over the school holidays, reported that "young people from poorer families are at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness, social isolation, physical inactivity and hunger compared to peers from more affluent families over the summer holidays, and in turn, [are] more likely to report poorer health and mental wellbeing on return to school".

These findings help to demonstrate both the need for, and value of school holiday-based interventions, i.e. programmes designed to reduce young people's negative experiences during the school holidays - experiences such as loneliness, inactivity and hunger. These efforts will, in turn, serve to reduce the inequalities that exist between some students and their more affluent peers upon return to school.

200,000WELSH CHILDREN

GROWING UP IN POVERTY

113,000+EMERGENCY 3-DAY FOODSUPPLIES PROVIDED BY

THE TRUSSELL TRUST IN 18/19

1 IN 3WELSH CHILDREN ARE

LIVING IN POVERTY

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1) Bevan Foundation (2019) Kids on the breadline: solutions to holiday hunger2) Trussell Trust (2019) End of Year Statistics 2018-193) All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger (2017) Hungry Holidays 4) Morgan et al., (2019) Socio-economic inequalities in adolescent summer holiday experiences, and mental wellbeing on return to school: analysis of the School Health Research Network / Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey in Wales

WHAT IS FIT AND FED?In the summer of 2016, StreetGames launched the Fit and Fed pilot programme in Wales. This new initiative, developed in response to demand from locally trusted community organisations, or 'LTOs' represented a new approach to holiday activity provisions: providing cost-effective, free-to-access food and physical activities to young people in a way that could be both quickly mobilised, and sustained over the long term.

Following on from this successful pilot, the scheme was further expanded in 2017/18 and then again in 2018/19. In the summer of 2019, a total of 289 sessions were delivered across 10 local authorities in Wales, as StreetGames as its partners delivered the provision to thousands of young people in need.

Designed with flexibility and adaptation in mind, Fit and Fed empowers LTOs to respond to unique local circumstances and demand, and to tweak its provision accordingly.

Following the end of the summer 2019 provision, StreetGames' Research and Insight team for Wales undertook a number of follow-up studies and surveys. The stated aim of this work has been to monitor participation, evaluate impact and to identify areas for further development. They included:

• Qualitative LTO surveys (n=14)• Quantitative participation survey (n=239)• Project ‘journey’ qualitative case studies (n=4)• Participant ‘journey’ qualitative case studies (n=2)

In addition, individual projects also submitted their project reports toStreetGames - which included both qualitative and quantitative dataand detailed key challenges and successes associated with the provision.

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FIT & FED2019

2,838YOUNG PEOPLE

SUPPORTED

12,028MEALS SERVED289

SESSIONSDELIVERED

100%of learners learnt

something new that they will put into practice from the

F&F training 95%

of participants rated F&F sessions as ‘Good’ or ‘Great’

£9.36average cost

per child, per session

67% of SG Network say

tackling Holiday Hunger is a high/medium priority

for their organisation

FIT & FED PROJECT LOCATIONS

EXISTING SITES

NEW 2019 SITES

SITES FOR 2020 AND BEYOND

TAR

GETA

CT

UA

L

43 100

TAR

GET

AC

TU

AL

10 21

TAR

GETA

CT

UA

L 2,838 10,000

DELIVERY SITES

LOCAL AUTHORITIESENGAGED

YOUNG PEOPLESUPPORTED

FIT & FED VISION IN WALES: BY 2021...FIT AND FED VISION IN WALES BY 2021

FIT AND FED 2019

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PROGRESS TO DATE

YOUNG PEOPLE SUPPORTED

2017 2018 2019

533780

2,838

2017 2018 2019

4058

89

89 PARTNERS

2017 2018 2019

LOCAL AUTHORITIES DELIVERING FIT & FED

5

8

10

FIT & FED DELIVERY SITES

2017 2018 2019

12

32

43

2017 2018 2019

FIT & FED SESSIONS

71

288289

SUMMER

PROGRESS TO DATE

YOUNG PEOPLE SUPPORTED

2017 2018 2019

533780

2,838

2017 2018 2019

4058

89

89 PARTNERS

2017 2018 2019

LOCAL AUTHORITIES DELIVERING FIT & FED

5

8

10

FIT & FED DELIVERY SITES

2017 2018 2019

12

32

43

2017 2018 2019

FIT & FED SESSIONS

71

288289

SUMMER

PROGRESS TO DATE

YOUNG PEOPLE SUPPORTED

2017 2018 2019

533780

2,838

2017 2018 2019

4058

89

89 PARTNERS

2017 2018 2019

LOCAL AUTHORITIES DELIVERING FIT & FED

5

8

10

FIT & FED DELIVERY SITES

2017 2018 2019

12

32

43

2017 2018 2019

FIT & FED SESSIONS

71

288289

SUMMER

FIT AND FED ANNUAL DATA

FIT AND FED PROJECT LOCATIONS

EXISTING SITES

NEW 2019 SITES

SITES FOR 2020 AND BEYOND

STREETGAMES’ FIT AND FED OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND AMBITIONS IN WALES

Following the end of the summer 2018 period, StreetGames Wales identified five ambitions for the Fit and Fed programme. These ambitions included several opportunities, challenges, areas for progress and thoughts for the future:

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In Wales, delivery of the Fit and Fed programme hasgrown each and every year since the pilot first launched back in 2016. This report showcases the work of LTOs on the ground, based across 10 separate Local Authority areas. It serves to highlight the ways in which these organisations are successfully servicing local need.

In total, over 4,400 young people have been supported by Fit and Fed in Wales since 2016. However, there is still much work to be done. With 200,000 Welsh children currently growing up in poverty, and a further 48,000 predicted to join them by 2021, the programme has really only begun to scratch the surface of this issue.

With many Fit and Fed projects reporting a high number of participants, the demand for new and additional provision remains high. For example, at the Fairwater Playscheme in Torfaen, the team were forced to bring in additional staff to cope with the high number of participants, whilst Lee Gardens Pool, Penrhiwceiber and Anglesey also reported being oversubscribed - with over 60 participants turning up to each project, each day.

A small number of projects (including Holyhead in Anglesey and Fairwater in Torfaen) were even forced to implement a waiting list system, with some young people having to be turned away once the provision had reached max capacity (sometimes more than a week prior to the start date!). In response, these projects are currently assessing the potential for an increased provision, across a larger number of sites.

When questioned on the topic, over 67% of the StreetGames network stated that tackling holiday hunger represented either a 'high' or 'medium priority' for their organisation, thereby demonstrating a clear demand for Fit and Fed.So much so in fact that all existing partners within the 10 Local Authority areas remain keen to be involved, with some even wishing to expand their delivery across Wales.

New partners have also been secured in a further 11 Local Authority areas.

StreetGames recognises the important role that community partners can play in delivering projects that adhere to the '5 rights of StreetGames' 5. This also remains true of the Fit and Fed programme.

In 2019, approximately 89 partner organisations have been involved in the funding, planning and/or delivery of Fit and Fed sessions and activities – a significant increase on 2018.

Diverse partnerships are an essential ingredient where increasing and sustaining provision is concerned - particularly as demand continues to increase. In the case of GLL Cardiff, for example, the organisation has utilised funding from infrastructure service provider The Centregreat Group (secured for the first time) in order to expand its provision and meet the "huge” level of demand that exists within the authority.

In Merthyr Tydfil meanwhile, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association has successfuly linked up with the area's Youth Service, its local Boys and Girls Clubs and the Local Authority Family Support Team, as well as Barnardo’s. The Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association recognises that the strength of the partnership has been a key factor in the success of the project to date, and has also allowed them to begin planning their provision for the next financial year.

In reporting their experiences, a majority of project leads highlighted the value of engaging with a diverserange of partners - organisations that could contribute different resources to the success of the programme, such as facilities, staffing, food donations etc.

OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 1: SUPPLYING THE DEMAND

AMBITION 1: EXPANDING DELIVERY ACROSS WALES

OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 2: ENHANCING AND IMPROVING PARTNERSHIPS ON A LOCAL LEVEL

AMBITION 2: WORKING WITH MORE PARTNERS TO GROW AND SUSTAIN PROVISION ACROSS WALES

5 - StreetGames, (2017) Insight into Action, The Lessons of Doorstep Sport in Wales, 2011-2017

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For example, in Blaenau Gwent, the local Fit and Fed provision is led by Aneurin Leisure Trust’s Sport Development team, who work in partnership with the Tai Calon Housing Association. However, these organisations also rely upon a number of additional partners, including the local Community Policing Team, The Rotary Club, and local shops/ chain stores in order to maintain success. Each of these organisations help to provide different resources, meaning that there is no ongoing reliance on core StreetGames funding. This partnership-centred approach ensures that provision is both “realistic and sustainable” (Aneurin LeisureSport Development Manager). Ensuring the sustainability of the project remains a key focus of the Aneurin Leisure Trust’s Sport Development team. The organisation continues to emphasise the importance of 'starting small' and building upon the existing provision, thereby ensuring that providers remain realistic in terms of what can be achieved. As a result of this approach, the organisation's Fit and Fed delivery is now more fully embedded into the work programmes of its surrounding partners, and not solely reliant upon a single organisation.

It must be noted that for some Fit and Fed providers, “lack of partnership working locally” was identified as one of the largest challenges to the success of the provision. LTO lead staff suggested that there was scope for local sport development teams and National Governing Bodies to provide greater support for the ‘Fit’ aspect of the sessions, for example by providing coaches or equipment. It is recognised that publicly funded organisations face their own challenges, but there is potential for StreetGames to continue to engage with the network and wider partners to support the development of new partnerships.

StreetGames already plays a key role in providing support in this area, which it continues to do through a variety of means. These include employing support staff, holding Network Meetings, and disseminating information and best practice gathered through research and insight generation. Projects are typically positive regarding this aspect of StreetGames' work, with one such project stating:

“The current support mechanism via StreetGames has been excellent - from the initial planning stages, to site visits, to more recently securing grants funding for local projects. The only way to improve is to keep pressuring local government and national partners to support at a local level”.

Whilst other ‘food and fun’ provisions exist throughout Wales (some of which have been very successful), Fit and Fed remains unique thanks in part to its unique focus on community-driven, and highly flexible responses to holiday hunger. There is a willingness here to “bolt together [things] which are working” in order to more fully involve and provide for the wider community.

For example, having personally witnessed “the levels of poverty [that] existed in their community” and noting that some local children were skipping meals on a regular basis, staff and volunteers at Brighter Futures Rhyl Youth Group responded by providing access to food during its entire youth provision, all year round.

There is also evidence across a range of local authorities to illustrate the ways in which similar holiday hunger projects can co-exist and provide a service, which encompasses the whole community. Staff at the St Mellon’s Hub in Cardiff established a ‘teen’ tackling holiday hunger offer, providing older young people with Fit and Fed opportunities once the WLGA School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) provision (which typically attracts primary school age children) had concluded for the day.

In Torfaen, the Play Service has traditionally led on and/or contributed to a wide range of school holiday programmes, including 'Playschemes' and 'SHEP'. In 2019, StreetGames established a new partnership with the Torfaen Leisure Trust as well as Torfaen Play in order to deliver 'Fit, Fed and Play' at Fairwater Leisure Centre.

The Head of Torfaen Play, Julian Davenne, asserts that community driven provision is key, with children and young people playing and congregating in a number of different areas, including schools, community centres, parks and leisure centres. It is also important to provide them with safe and engaging opportunities (e.g. holiday hunger initiatives) within those different facilities.

There is also evidence of many projects successfully linking with foodbanks, as well as other schemes such as FareShare, in order to provide greater support to families, both during and beyond the school holidays. “The biggest success this year has been that we have taken a positive step in tackling weekend hunger. Come the weekend, many of those accessing Fit and Fed across Merthyr Tydfil have to wait until the Monday to be able to access a free provision of sport and physical activity where they can get fed. Through partnership with FareShare Cymru, we have provided weekend parcels for 53 families that are identified as the most in need by the sites, providing 318 weekend parcels over the summer period”.

Several other projects reported that food parcels and left-over food was passed on to children and families who were identified as most in need.

StreetGames remains committed to tackling food poverty in conjunction with likeminded partners throughout Wales, and welcomes any opportunity to discuss this issue, both at the local and national level.

OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 3: COMPLEMENT, CONNECT AND ADD VALUE TO OTHER HOLIDAY HUNGER PROGRAMMES

AMBITION 3: IDENTIFY WAYS TO CONNECT WITH OTHER PROGRAMMES TACKLING HOLIDAY HUNGER ACROSS WALES

5 - StreetGames, (2017) Insight into Action, The Lessons of Doorstep Sport in Wales, 2011-2017

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While there is no specific funding earmarked for Fit and Fed activities in Wales, some LTOs have chosen to utilise their core funding in order to develop the programme locally.

In addition, many projects have identified and secured funding from local organisations, as well as grant awarding bodies. StreetGames continues to provide support in the form of planning and writing applications to these funders. For example, StreetGames' staff provided support to the County in the Community Trust with their application to the Tesco Bags of Help centenary fund, which would help them to deliver the Fit and Fed offer in Alway.

Over the past 12-18 months, StreetGames has worked hard to increase the visibility of the Fit and Fed programme. This has been done at both the national and local level - by attracting press coverage, organising VIP visits and in developing ongoing relationships with local businesses, trusts and foundations (incl. Centregreat, Richard White, London Marathon Charitable Trust, CBI and The Waterloo Foundation).

In 2018/19, StreetGames was the CBI’s 'Charity ofChoice' for their major annual lunch event, held in May. In addition, StreetGames also developed a highly promising relationship with the Waterloo Foundation, which has already seen the group providing two years' worth of funding to Fit and Fed projects - thereby ensuring its growth within eight of Wales’ most deprived regions. This includes projects such as Lee Gardens Pool in Penrhiwceiber, where just under half of all children and young people are growing up in poverty (Loughborough University, 2019).

Projects in the Newport region have also developed greater sustainability. Here, the local Trust (incl. Newport Live, and the Sport Development Team) have succeeded in establishing a new partnership with Newport City Homes and Melin Homes, and have also been supported by the Fire Service, along with more than 15 other partners.

This Fit and Fed provision operates out of seven sites all across the city, totaling over 60 days' worth of provision over the summer. The team were ‘highly commended’ for this collaborative approach at the 2017/18 StreetGames National Awards.

StreetGames recognises that the diverse funding modelsemployed by Fit and Fed remain highly valuable to local communities, particularly as they help these organisations to mobilise quickly. StreetGames is therefore committed to maintaining the benefits of this model.

The StreetGames network typically prides itself on a deep and nuanced understanding of sport and physical activity. In short, they 'get' the Fit in 'Fit and Fed'. However, insights gathered during the 2017-18 period suggested that this level of familiarity was somewhat lacking where nutritional delivery was concerned. It was therefore determined that a process of upskilling was required, and a partnership with the health professionals at Lifelong Health was established.

In the late spring of 2019, the wider Network was invited to attend the 'Fit and Fed training pilot', led by a representative from the Lifelong Health team. This was done to help raise the awareness of young people's health and the importance of proper nutrition. 'Talk shops' were also delivered at the StreetGames South Wales Network meeting, with further workshops being integrated into Fit and Fed holiday sessions, e.g. 'sugar swap' activities and fun-first food prep classes.

The goal of these workshops was two-fold: firstly to highlight the need for healthy eating at Fit and Fed sessions, and second: to enable both staff and volunteers to hold ‘healthy conversations’ concerning food choices with their young participants.

Thankfully, all feedback relating to this upskilling work has been positive, with the project lead at Manselton Youth Club in Swansea describing the benefits as such: “The training we received helped us to discuss the different barriers each project faced, as well as the partnerships – which helped with new ideas. I also replicated the sugar tasks from the StreetGames training into one of our Fit and Fed sessions and this worked really well".

These training opportunities also served to confirm a widespread need (and demand) for training in this area. As such, work is now ongoing to develop a UK-widetraining course to provide LTOs with all of the key information surrounding this issue, info such as healthy food choices; methods to engage participants in planning and food choices; budgeting for healthy food provisions and methods to engage participants in conversations around healthy food. A training workshop will be available to the StreetGames Network by Spring 2020. Training course that provides LTOs with key information around healthy food choices, methods to engage participants in the planning/choice of food provided, budgeting for healthy food provision and methods to engage participants in conversations around healthy food choices. A training workshop will be available to the StreetGames Network by Spring 2020.

OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 4: PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL INVESTMENT

AMBITION 4: IDENTIFY INVESTMENT INTO FIT AND FED

OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 5: ENHANCING AND IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AROUND THE ‘FED’ ELEMENT

AMBITION 5: IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE ‘FED’ ELEMENT OF FIT AND FED

With that being said, StreetGames also recognises that as demand for the Fit and Fed provision grows in local areas, so too must StreetGames' own methods and funding arrange-ments. The organisation is also therefore committed to seek-ing out larger, and more long-term funding arrangements for those partners wishing to provide Fit and Fed.

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Delivered a wide range of new activities to children and young people. This has included everything from sport and physical activity to arts and crafts; reading projects, and even day trips and parties (e.g. picnics and beach parties).

These activities helped the children and young people to become more physically active, while also providing them with valuable social and cultural opportunities, which in turn helped to reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation. More detailed examples of provision (and the associated benefits) are included in the latter sections of this report.

Increased opportunities for collaboration. This was achieved by supporting LTOs to expand upon their local networks; develop flexible, community-led opportunities; utilise local community assets; and forge meaningful relationships with both local and national organisations.

Developed knowledge and skills around nutrition, food hygiene and meal planning. In partnership with the health and nutrition experts at Lifelong Health, LTOs were provided with several training opportunities centred on the topics of nutrition and meal planning. StreetGames also provided access to the Level 2 Certificate in Food Hygiene, where required.

Attracted ministerial engagement. This was achieved by supporting LTOs to expand upon their local networks; develop flexible, community-led opportunities; utilise local community assets; and forge meaningful relationships with both local and national organisations.

FIT AND FED SUMMER 2019: LEARNING AND IMPACT

The following section demonstrates the impact that this cost effective, flexible approach to tackling holiday hunger has had on children and young people living in poverty in Wales.

As part of the summer 2019 provision, local coordinators were asked to identify the ancillary benefits of the Fit and Fed programme i.e. those that extended beyond simply tackling Holiday Hunger. In response, they told StreetGames that the programme had...

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PARTICIPANT FEEDBACKStreetGames conducted a participant survey with over 200 participants from across Wales.

The feedback received from these participants was overwhelmingly positive.

AGE 5 - 7 AGE 8 - 11 AGE 12 - 16 AGE 17+

91were more active whilst attending Fit and Fed sessions (compared with normal school holiday activity levels)

82had tried new

sports/ activities

68learned

something new

89had made new

friends

63had tried new

foods

95rated the

sessions 'good' or 'great'

94said they

had enjoyed meeting up

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of respondents said they would likely be doing

“nothing”

of respondents said they would be in bed

of respondents said they would be watching tv or playing on devices

Respondents were also asked what they would be doing if they were not attending Fit and Fed. Their responses, featured below, help to demonstrate the important role that Fit and Fed plays in encouraging young people to be more physically active.

These responses serve to demonstrate the enormous impact that Fit and Fed has had, not only in tackling holiday hunger, but also in alleviating many of the related social factors, i.e. loneliness, boredom and inactivity - issues that Morgan et al. (2019) cite as mediators of a young person's mental wellbeing when returning to school.

18% 6%39%

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2019 has seen an increase in Fit and Fed participants in Wales, compared with 2017 and 2018 and the majority of projects reported an increase in attendances, further demonstrating the demand.

In addition, it must be recognised that whilst some projects only deliver during the summer holidays, an increasing number now deliver all year-round due to local need, providing a longer term “fix” (Morgan et al., 2019). For example, in Rhyl, at Brighter Futures Rhyl Youth Group there is a recognition of the levels of poverty that exist in the community and a need for year-round provision.

“We have incorporated food into all our sessions because our young people are hungry ... They will have had their lunch at school (if they attend school) and they won’t get any food until lunch the next day ... we know that some of our ten-year olds have been caught shoplifting in the local shops ... they are stealing food because they are hungry ...” Similarly, the 3GS project in Merthyr Tydfil delivered provision every evening during the summer holidays and has funding in place to continue this until the end of 2019.

Whilst all projects have commonalities and follow the StreetGames Fit and Fed ethos (all delivering free to access food and physical activity opportunities), the projects being delivered on the ground are extremely diverse, reflecting the needs and assets of the communities in which they operated.

In the case of the Better Star Hub in Cardiff, staff made use of local connections and facilities to deliver a special ‘Fit, Fed and Read’ project. This involved the co-operation of the hub's in-house library and Social Enterprise-run café, alongside the leisure centre itself. As a result, they were able to provide two meals per day, for the duration of the programme.

At Grange Gardens in Cardiff, staff were able to deliver a volunteer-led, and park-based physical activity programme featuring healthy drinks and snacks. This they achieved following a process of formal and informal consultation with young people. The ability to both capture and act upon this feedback should be recognised as one of the core strengths of the Fit and Fed programme.

FIT AND FED PROVISION

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FIT AND FED PROVISION EXAMPLES

GLL, Cardiff“The on-site Café Green Shoots is set up to offer training

and employment opportunities to young people who face disadvantage and barriers to employment. There were no challenges sourcing the food as the Café are involved in FareShare therefore the amount of food

wasn’t an issue. The young people were at the forefront of their minds, and they were regularly consulted on the

type of foods they would like to try”.

Newport Live (Pill Millennium Centre)“The breakfasts are a selection of cereals, toast, cereal bars and fruit. The lunches are served buffet style and we try to ensure that meals are healthy and nutritious and we also have to ensure that all food is suitable for

those on a halal diet. The type of food we serve at lunch include pasta and cheese bake, various filled wraps,

chicken curry and rice”.

Georgetown Boys and Girls Club, Merthyr Tydfil “Food was prepared by the young people with the

support of youth workers. Young people can have a snack as soon as they get to the session and then eat

whenever they wish”.

Grange Pavilion, Cardiff“We had a dedicated table in the 3G pitch where the

food and drinks were kept. Any time the children wanted to grab food they could as well as dedicated break

times”.

EXAMPLES OF ‘FED’ PROVISION

Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association “The ‘Fit’ element is different at each centre, based on the needs and wants of that specific group. This has

varied from traditional sport such as football, rugby, and rounders to keep fit”.

Aneurin Leisure“After the participants receive a breakfast meal they then take part in an hour of physical activity that is participant led. The activities can include structured

sports to non-structured tag games”.

Brighter Futures Rhyl Youth Group“Grass roots multi sports sessions before and after food.

Very informal games, led by the children and young people”.

Lee Gardens Pool Committee, RCT“The children swim in the [Lee Gardens] pool constantly, also playing in the pool and organised games. They also

play in the park and zorb”.

EXAMPLES OF ‘FIT’ PROVISION

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Local conditions play an important part in determining how best to implement the Fit and Fed offer. However, it is just as important that these projects give strong consideration to StreetGames' '5 rights' in developing their provision. It was particularly evident, for instance, that having the ‘right people’ in place proved essential to the speedy mobilisation and success of Fit and Fed summer 2019.

At the Better Star Hub Cardiff, for example, there was only a two-week period between the confirmation of funding (from The Centregreat Group) and the first day of provision. There was a similar scenario in Manselton Youth Club in Swansea. Where the ‘will’ of the people and the network already exists, mobilisation is very efficient – as described by the lead for provision in Anglesey;

"With excellent networking and collaboration with Rachel and the [StreetGames] team we have quickly established a school holiday programme which works for Anglesey and the number of participants speaks volumes. We will continue to replicate this for every school holiday camp”.

The summer 2019 campaign saw the addition of several new Fit and Fed sites in the Cardiff area. These included: Tiger Bay Boxing Club, Grange Gardens Pavilion, St Mellon’s Hub, Pheonix Boxing Club, Butetown Pavilion and South Riverside Development Centre.

While these projects were all successfully mobilised in short order, the need for an initial funding 'injection' quickly became apparent. In this instance, funding was provided by The Waterloo Foundation.

The experiences of both the LTO lead officers, and StreetGames' staff at this time, help to demonstrate the sheer necessity of this 'start up' funding - which provided projects with the opportunity to get to grips with the running of a Fit and Fed project, and to better understand the difference that such a programme could make to the lives of disadvantaged young people.

At the Better Star Hub, for example, this process led to an increased appetite for the programme among staff, and a desire to implement the programme multiple times per year.

LOCALLY DRIVEN PROVISION

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Research conducted by UK academics and policy makers continues to suggest a positive correlation between sport and physical activity participation, with good (or improved) social connections - including empathy, resilience and behaviour.6 7

While it remains difficult to provide evidence of a causalrelationship, reports of improved behaviour, social integration and levels of respect amongst participants were plentiful during the summer 2019 delivery, as LTO leads repeatedly highlighted the importance of food in this turnaround.

At Fairwater Playscheme, Torfaen, staff members reported children and young people eating a full meal at breakfast time and therefore not becoming “hangry” in the late morning, and “kicking off around noon.” Children from the additional needs playscheme also ate alongside children attending the mainstream provision. This led to increased cohesion and the development of social skills. Children helped to clear tables and tidy up the activity spaces, demonstrating respectful behaviour - which was perceived to have been as a result of being given food.

There were also examples of improved behaviour at the Better Star Hub in Cardiff. Having previously encountered significant ASB issues, project leaders now stated that: “the biggest success of the pilot [was] the fact that the young people enjoyed it and were engaged, and behaved in a good manner. There was no stigma at all, everyone was equal".

Projects having the ‘right people’ in place (both in the form of staff and volunteers) also appeared to impact upon the behaviour and engagement level of the young people in attendance.

However, the process of identifying these ‘right people’ - i.e. those with the interpersonal skills needed to deal with challenging behaviour sometimes proved problematic.

LTO leads were often forced to ‘juggle’ staff in order to ensure that all areas were staffed appropriately. For example, team members with the requisite food hygiene or sports coaching qualifications would sometimes have to be moved around to alternative sites in order to cover staff absences.

WIDER SOCIAL IMPACT

6 - Coalter (2013) Sport for Development: what game are we playing7 - Youth Sport Trust (2018) Annual Impact Report

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KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL

FIT AND FEDPROVISION

Following the summer of 2018, StreetGames identified eight lessons or ‘key ingredients’ for a successful Fit and Fed programme and based upon the insight collected, these have not changed. Rather, the evidence has reinforced the importance of each of these aspects – and all have been summarised in previous sections of this report.

CONSULTATION

FLEXIBILITY

DEMAND-LED

THE 5 RIGHTS

PlacePriceTimeStyle

People

LINKING TO OTHER AGENDAS

ASSET-BASEDAPPROACH

PARTNERSHIPAPPROACH

NUTRITION

Flexibility There is no ‘one size fits all' approach

Consultation Provision must be demand-led, with input from

beneficiaries to ensure that provision is meeting their needs

The 5 ‘Rights’ The programme works best when it is delivered to the right audience, by the right people, at the right

time, place, and price point

Demand-led It is important to provide the provision to areas

where there is a clear need and demand

Asset-based approach The programme thrives when the community is able

to identify and make use of its wider community assets

Linking to other agendas 'Holiday Hunger'/ 'Food Poverty' interventions work best when paired up with something more positive,

e.g. opportunities for sport or play

Nutrition Children and young people enjoy trying new, healthy

food options; being involved in food preparation; and eating with their friends in a safe and social

environment

Partnership approach No one can do this independently. Since the

beginning of Fit and Fed, there has been mounting corporate interest, greater Trust investment, more

community safety involvement, and greater Housing Association inclusion. StreetGames and its partners

must continue to work with others to maintain these benefits

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REFERENCES 1Bevan Foundation (2019) Kids on the breadline: solutions to holiday hunger

2Trussell Trust (2019) End of Year Statistics 2018-19

3All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger (2017) Hungry Holidays

4Morgan et al., (2019) Socio-economic inequalities in adolescent summer holiday experiences, and mental wellbeing on return to school: analysis of the School Health Research Network / Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey in Wales

5StreetGames, (2017) Insight into Action, The Lessons of Doorstep Sport in Wales, 2011-2017

6Coalter (2013) Sport for Development: what game are we playing

7Youth Sport Trust (2018) Annual Impact Report

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Page: 19

If you would like more information on how to set up your own Fit and Fed project; volunteer with StreetGames, or

donate to a project, please visit the link below:

https://network.streetgames.org/region/wales

or email: wales@streetgames.org

StreetGamesVideos

StreetGamesUK

StreetGamesSportsCharity

@StreetGamewales

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