Essex ActivAte DfE Report 2024

There are 42,593 of children and young people on income related free school meals across Essex (data for 2024), with the highest percentage of children living in Essex County Council ‘Levelling Up’ areas such as Basildon, Colchester, Harlow, Tendring, Canvey Island and rural Braintree.

Additionally, specialist clubs focused on mental wellbeing, targeted youth interventions and outreach, and SEND support are offered alongside mainstream provisions, that are tailored to meet the diverse needs of young people.

Providing more specialist support in a safe and inclusive environment, these clubs offer bespoke activities designed to enhance children’s physical and mental health, build resilience, and enhance social connections, ensuring that all children, regardless of their backgrounds or needs, have access to enriching and engaging experiences.

The Easter HAF programme with Activate made a significant impact across Essex, offering memorable experiences and supporting families. The initiative provided a vital opportunity for children to stay active, socialise, and explore new skills in a supportive environment.

As the largest programme of the year, the Essex ActivAte summer HAF was a true lifeline for families across the county. Local organisations pulled went above and beyond by delivering RNLI-led water safety workshops and Olympic-inspired “Path to Paris” activities that encouraged confidence and life skills.

Young people with SEND received further dedicated support through inclusive, low-sensory sessions, which offered safe spaces for children to grow and gave families valuable respite.

The Winter HAF programme brought festive magic to families, offering unique experiences such as Santa visits, theatre trips, and winter wonderlands, helping lift spirits during the colder months.

At a time when the cost of living crisis weighed heavily, the programme provided not just joy, but real relief through hot meals, food hampers, and inclusive, fun activities, giving young people and families a memorable, festive holidays.

Across the year, Essex ActivAte spent a total of £4,297,250 to deliver the HAF programme effectively in 12 districts across Essex. The funding was allocated across key areas, such as:

Holiday Club Face to Face Provision - £3,304,004
Working with over 90 trusted local partners, Essex HAF ran 200+ activity clubs each holidays offering targeted support through SEND, wellbeing, and youth crime prevention hubs. From sports and theatre to pony therapy, bushcraft, and graffiti art, the programme delivered inclusive, enriching activities designed to inspire and uplift every child.

SEND Specific provision - £388,612
The Essex ActivAte SEND offer continues to deliver inclusive, low-sensory sessions led by specially trained staff, by creating safe, supportive spaces where children with additional needs can thrive, while giving families valuable respite and peace of mind.

Remote - £0

Marketing and Communications - £61,919
Continuing to reach and engage as many families and children as possible, Essex ActivAte implemented many different digital and print marketing methods such as paid social media ads, local magazine ads, flyers and posters, childrens activity packs and family support booklets, filming and photography, promotional banners and more.

Management and Administration - £429,724

Capital and Expenditure - £56,500

Additional Costs - £56,491
Funding supported the WONDE/HolidayActivities central booking system, which issued unique codes to eligible families via school MIS data. All delivery partners were onboarded and received ongoing support through drop-in sessions ahead of and during holiday delivery.

At the start of 2024, Essex ActivAte opened applications for new, locally trusted organisations to apply and become a part of the Essex and Thurrock HAF programme. Nearly 100 providers were successful, willing to embed themselves into their local communities to support and engage families, young people and residents through physical activity, enrichment sessions and food education, enhancing their wellbeing.

Ramblers Riding Club

New to the Essex ActivAte programme in 2024, Ramblers Riding Club plays a significant role in supporting families and young people by offering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all ages. The club provides riding lessons, therapeutic horse-riding sessions, and opportunities for young people to develop confidence, discipline, and teamwork skills.

Through structured programmes, the club helps children and teenagers build physical and emotional resilience, while also adopting a sense of community. Families benefit from the club's affordable activities, events, and volunteer opportunities, making it a central hub for recreational and educational experiences.

As part of the HAF programme, Essex ActivAte works closely with locally trusted organisations to establish key partnerships, helping to enhance their provisions which in return, enrich children’s education and skillset's.

Path to Paris

The 'Path to Paris' initiative by Get Set UK, in partnership with Team GB and Paralympics GB, aims to inspire schools, families, and communities to get active by virtually traveling to Paris for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Following the Path to Paris initiative, the summer HAF programme saw children and young adults with SEND, try inclusive sports inspired by the Paralympics, such as archery, boccia, taekwondo, and athletics. The activities, chosen by the participants, were tailored to their specific wants and needs, boosting their confidence and self-esteem, and were delivered by local partners and organisations.

Read more about the Path to Paris partnership here.

An effective marketing and communications plan was put in place to support the lead up to the summer holiday programme, as marketing has been instrumental to Essex ActivAte’s success over the past year, enabling the programme to connect with both new and existing audiences across the county.

By implementing a range of marketing approaches, the initiative has effectively communicated it's support to eligible young people and families, leading to greater awareness and, in turn, increased engagement.

Digital

Digital marketing methods, including targeted social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram, were pivotal in raising awareness of the ActivAte offer. Additionally, display ads across internet browsers helped extend reach and engage new audiences. Infographics helped to show the impact of Essex ActivAte on communities, as well as digital presentations and reports, to help showcase the programme further to stakeholders and local authorities.

Generic bus rear and panels also promoted the ActivAte offer early on in the year, and DAX adverts were piloted ahead of Easter, to 'smart' target specific audiences who would be eligible for the programme, as well as reach new audiences, across platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.

During the summer holidays, two clubs were selected to capture videography on the clubs impact and to showcase the activities on offer that young people participate in.

Print

With print noticeably being a strong marketing advertisement for ActivAte, a range of flyers, posters and guides were created to promote the parent booking journey, helping to support families on how to claim, book and use their voucher code.

Each locality hub received a promotional ActivAte 'kit' containing flyers, business cards, a roller banner, table topper, and table cloth, to support their presence at community events and help raise awareness of the ActivAte offer.

A dedicated leaflet drop in Easter and local magazine ads in Easter and summer were carried out, targeting areas of communities with high levels of deprivation.

Continuing to partner with Community Dental Services, 8,000 oral health packs including a toothbrush, toothpaste and teeth cleaning chart were distributed to families at Easter, educating young people on the importance of oral hygiene.

21,000 childrens activity booklets and family support leaflets were also handed out across summer and winter programmes, to engage and educate children at home, also inspire households on how to get active, courses, community activities, resources and guidance.

2024 saw the first Essex ActivAte, Share Connect Collaborate event take place, welcoming nearly 100 locally trusted organisations who deliver the programme, to celebrate key achievements and share and learn new ideas for their provisions.

Four key workshops took place, including using local insight packs focusing on the valuable insight of local communities and using data to explore how it can be used to reach the right people, using evaluation to show impact and influence others, highlighting the importance of food education, and an introduction to the #MoveWithUs campaign and how providers can get involved.

The day was successful, as it encouraged organisations to network, learn key knowledge and celebrate the success of the HAF programme.

Since 2021, the Essex ActivAte programme has been breaking down barriers by offering dynamic, free physical and enrichment activities, alongside nutritious meals, family support, and food education during school holidays. This initiative has become a lifeline for children on free school meals and those from low-income families, providing robust support to local communities. The continued funding has significantly advanced the programme's impact, which was detailed in a comprehensive report commissioned by Active Essex. The evaluation during the Easter offer considered the social return on investment, impact on young people and families, local organizations, and the wider society.

The programme has proven effective in supporting children, young people, and their families, who now rely on it to feed and care for their children during school holidays. Discontinuing the funding would not only halt this progress, but also potentially reverse the remarkable strides made in fostering resilience and empowering families and communities to thrive independently.

The evaluation highlighted the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the programme, emphasizing its value in improving wellbeing, education, and community development.

The estimated social value generated by the 2024 programme in Essex is £22.5 million, with 250,000 meals provided since 2021 to reduce holiday hunger. For every £1 spent on delivery, at least £4.49 of social value was generated, demonstrating the programme's significant return on investment.