Activate is proud to have delivered the holiday activity and food programme across Bath and North East Somerset from Easter 2022-Easter 2026
The Holiday Activity and Food programme is a government funded holiday camp offering free childcare with a free meal for any child who is eligible for benefit related free school meals.
The Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) is now being coordinated by the Bath and North East Somerset Council as part of the Best Start in Life programme, with Summer 2026 marking the first fully council-led delivery.
For any enquiries, the team can be contacted at . The Council extends its sincere thanks to Activate for their management of the programme over the past four years and for the excellent work they have delivered.
Who is the programme for?
This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals.
Benefits-related free school meals (FSM) are available to pupils if their parents are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits, and have a claim verified by their school or local authority.
Other children and families
Local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.
This may include, for example:
- children assessed by the local authority as being in need, at risk or vulnerable
- young carers
- looked-after children or previously looked after children
- children with an EHC (education, health and care) plan
- children who have low attendance rates at school or who are at risk of exclusion
- children living in areas of high deprivation or from low-income households who are not in receipt of free school meals
- children in transition phases between nursery and primary school or primary and secondary school
Our recent impact:
Check out our impact reports to see Activate’s HAF work in the BNES area.
Parent info and Holiday Activities booking platform
Activate Your Holiday are using Holiday Activities as our HAF “pass” distribution and booking partner. They are experienced in working across HAF and already service over 85% of schools in the Bath and North East Somerset region with other voucher schemes.
Holiday Activities distribute their HAF passes to schools who order the required number for their eligible children. The school will distribute HAF passes to all children who are in receipt of benefits related free school meals through the Holiday Activities platform.
The HAF pass will come through on email or text and from that email parents can click a link to take them to what is on offer in their area. Activities can then be searched and booked through that link. Each child will receive a maximum number of credits, each credit will be equivalent to 1 day/session of activity, so 5 credits could cover a 5-day week.
For any family that is in receipt of free school meals but has not received their HAF pass please contact your school first to check they have distributed them.
Any family that would like to take part in HAF but is not in receipt of benefits related free school meals, can contact their chosen provider using the details below and discuss if they are eligible for a place based on the extra 15% funding detailed above.
Want to get involved?
The holiday activity and food programme’s strength is in its diversity and Activate are looking for partners who might like to get involved. You might be a school that would like to host a HAF camp, a holiday camp provider who delivers in the area, a food provider who can deliver hot meals to our camps, or a charity looking to support local families. If you think you can offer support to the programme, please get in touch with us at
