HAF – Free lunches during summer holidays for children at IPA adventure Playgrounds

All children at Islington Adventure Playgrounds are welcome to make and eat free lunches every day of the summer holidays in 2022.

Dates: 25th of July to 26th of August

Times: The playgrounds are open from 10.30am to 5.30pm – Lunch will be served between 12 and 2pm

Venues: Click on the links bellow for playground addresses and other details

 Lumpy Hill Adventure Playground

Crumbles Castle Adventure Playground

Timbuktu Adventure Playground

Toffee Park Adventure Playground

Islington Council are funding many other HAF projects across Islington. Some have special places for children who receive free school meals. Some are for all children. Please follow the link bellow to find out more.

https://www.islington.gov.uk/children-and-families/things-to-do/holiday-activities-and-food

Children can’t flourish when they are hungry which is why IPA have been running food projects since we won the tender for the adventure playgrounds in 2013. We have been able to do this with the support of Islington Council (LBI) and The Mayor’s Fund for London’s Kitchen Social project.

Last year the government also committed to the idea of helping hungry children in the school holidays, by ring fencing money through their HAF project. This decision was directly influenced by the wonderful Marcus Rashford.

The government were persuaded to take action against holiday hunger by Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who relied on free school meals as a child. In 2020 Marcus persisted in lobbying for hungry children, so that children are remembered and cared for during the school holidays. In doing this he has ensured that thousands of children across the nation have had access to healthy food throughout the holidays. His own story has also helped children children feel less stigma about their free lunches.

This summer at IPA playgrounds children will enjoy growing and harvesting vegetables, cooking on fires, preparing meals and eating healthy  lunches.

Thank you Marcus, you are a Don for speaking truth to power, for standing up for children and for staying dignified and not giving up in the face of some very unpleasant political posturing.

Thank you also to Islington Council and the Mayors Fund for London for always keeping children in Islington on their agenda!

For more food projects follow this linkFree Lunches for All children on Adventure Playgrounds