Amazing Winter Creativity across 3 local authorities

Our Wolverhampton HAF scheme ran for 4 days in total: 3 dates Mon 22nd - Wed 24th Dec 2025 at The Workspace, All Saints Action Network WV2 1EL and 1 date on 2nd January 2026 at Bob Jones Community Hub. We worked with 24 young people most days. Families booked on through the EEQU booking system, and HAF eligibility was a benefits related free school meal and we worked with 7-16 year olds, or an EHCP (Education Health Care Plan), and we worked with young people 7-25.

Selection of Photos - Wolverhampton

Feedback from learners and parents / carers - Wolverhampton

22.12.25

• Very fun my favourite was the Christmas cards. I recommend this activity.
• I felt good and I had fun.
• I liked it! I kind of think that we should do more of this stuff
• I like decorating the small pots and painting on the mini canvas.
• Very nice
• I liked the pots the most.
• I enjoyed the canvas painting and enjoyed all the other activities
• My favourite thing was designing tiny pots.
• I think it was nice and the bells were good
• I really had a jolly experience doing the canvas
• I like doing the mini pots and I would be better if they had stars. Everything else was good. 

 
23.12.25

• I enjoyed all the activities today; it was really fun.
• I liked when we made a calendar of the year.
• It was very fun today.
• I really liked doing the activities and I would like to do more.
• Favourite so far! I loved the freedom we had to decorate it all.
• My favourite activity was the calendar.
• My day had fun and making the vision board.
• I enjoyed everything activities because they were really fun.
• I liked doing the vision board. I also like to do the calendar.
• I enjoyed doing my vision board and I like to do something like this again with stickers.

 
24.12.25

• Today I liked drawing the bird (robin)
• I loved the activity today. They were really fun.
• I had fun with sign language.
• I enjoyed learning different sign language and motions I also liked the BSL bingo.
• I liked doing the BSL and enjoyed sign language I also liked doing the drawing the bird.
• I liked drawing my robin bird and doing sign language. Next time I want to do more drawing.
• I enjoyed today.
• I enjoyed drawing robin bird and very nice.
• I like coming here, I liked doing my activity, I liked the food and I liked the staff and volunteers.
• It was fun and the thing that I love the most was doing sign language
• I enjoyed the BSL bingo and the bird drawing we did.
• I liked doing robin drawing, he looks fluffy but it was hard to draw.
• I liked drawing robin. It was really hard to do.

 
2.1.26
 

• We did a firework paper drawing using Posca pens and a horse drawing in the morning and BSL and I enjoyed today.
• The kids enjoy it. Really wonderful. So informing and educational. Food was ok. Thank you. (PARENT)
• I don’t like the food or the drawing, but I really enjoyed the BSL and the BSL games and Bingo.
• I really enjoyed coming and want to learn more.
• I enjoyed it so much, it doesn’t need changing.
• It needs to improve on more activities otherwise everything was very nice.
• I like learning new language and art.
• I felt amazing. I loved the food and the activities. Nothing bad happened.
• PARENT:  I really enjoy your BSL session which is very informative. My children really enjoyed as my daughter really wants to learn BSL. Thank you.
• Best day ever so much fun
• I liked all the activities and the fireworks
• I loved to learn sign language.

Our Dudley HAF scheme ran for 3 days : Mon 29th - Wed 31st Dec at Green Park Community Centre, Dudley DY2 7LG We worked with 15 young people most days. Families booked on through the Booking Lab system, and HAF eligibility was a benefits related free school meal and we worked with 7-16 year olds.

Selection of Photos - Dudley

Recipe and food packs from Black Country Food Bank

Feedback from learners and parents/carers - Dudley

29.12.25

• Loved playing outside and art.
• Today was fun.
• The BSL was fun although I thought it would be boring. The Art/Acrylic Posca was something fun and new to learn and the fruit beginning was an interesting way to spark creativity.
• I liked the scratchy thing (scratch art card for fireworks)
• I felt really happy; my favourite thing was drawing the fireworks.
• I like when we learned own names (in BSL) and I love it.
• Today was the best I enjoyed making pictures with the fruit. I most enjoyed going and playing on the mini park and learning sign language.
• I love today. The teachers are helpful and funny. I like learning and listening with sign language.
• I enjoyed the firework piece in the art section and all of the BSL bit because I find sign language very interesting.

 
30.12.25

• I loved it.
• I loved everything today.

 
31.12.25

• I enjoyed doing the clay and making the models. I also enjoyed recapping on my BSL.
• I liked the part where I designed the bag.
• I LOVED today. I loved making clay. I loved the food. I loved sign language and drawing.
• My favourite thing was the BSL, clay and design bag.
• I enjoyed the clay and the bag today.
• I like the food and making bag.
• I liked the food it filled me up and really nice. I liked doing the clay and I like making bags.
• I liked today because we made stuff out as clay and designed a bag and the lunch was lovely.
• I enjoyed designing my own bag. I also enjoyed the lunch.
• I enjoyed making my own bag and the lunch.
• I liked today because we made stuff out of clay.
• Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. I’ve really enjoyed myself and enjoyed doing different types of art. The food was great.
• Everyone is nice.
• ​
  

PARENT A
My 3 daughters, absolutely loved every second of the Dudley HAF sessions they attended. They all love learning BSL and find it fascinating. They love art and one is particularly passionate about art and is always either creating something from clay or drawing . They are already looking forward to Easter sessions!
Thank you for the dedication and hard work from all the team x

PARENT B
My daughter said the activities were great with lovely staff helping. She would prefer to be with children her own age suggesting there is a teenage group.

Our Sandwell Winter HAF scheme ran for 3 days : Mon 29th - Wed 31st Dec in the upstairs room at the beautiful Carnegie  Wednesbury Library, Walsall Street Wednesbury WS10 9EH We worked with 15 young people most days. Families booked on through the e-Vouchers system, and HAF eligibility was a benefits related free school meal and we worked with 7-16 year olds, and EHCP upto age 19 (we worked with children aged 7 and up).

Selection of Photos - Sandwell

​Feedback from learners and parents/carers - Sandwell

29.12.25

• I loved it and got to learn things
• I learnt more about sign language and foods in BSL
• I felt good about this activity it was more interesting than I expected and extremely fun. I would probably come back here again.

 
30.12.25

• I made things with clay
• I really enjoyed the clay making as it allowed me to express my artism
• Very, very, very, very, very good!
• I found the clay art fun and would like to do that again
• I enjoyed clay sculpting and designing a picture
• It was very nice and good
• AMAZING!
• Super fun but maybe let people use coloured clay
• I enjoyed that we had lots of fun things, and I think I want to do it again
• I liked when we made bags

 
31.12.25

• I enjoyed it very much!
• I did graffiti!
• I liked the chicken burger and Jenga!
• I like when we did the (watercolour) picture it was so fun, I loved it
• I enjoyed graffiti and the staff/hosts are very kind

 

Chinese lanterns created by the young people adorn the foliage in the atrium at All Saints Action Network

Day 1 : Christmas Crafts and Healthy Lifestyles

• I like making the baubles because it was fun.
• I felt happy and excited. I really enjoyed with RAW. I liked the Christmas activity.
• ​I found today activities really fun.​
• I felt happy, enjoyed and safe. I enjoyed the most the arts and crafts.

• I liked doing the fruit activity and I felt happy with RAW staff
• I enjoyed doing the Christmas activities and the food activities as you got to taste and design fruits.
• This is the best day!

Day 2 : Tee Shirts and Cardboard afternoon

• It was a great activity, and I loved making the T-Shirt.
• The staff are the best and I loved making my T-Shirt.
• The activities were exquisite today.
• I enjoyed doing cardboard stuff today.
• I feel really happy doing everything. I enjoyed making T-shirt and cardboard. The staff are kind.
• I liked the mermaid cardboard decorating and the T-shirt that we own design.

Day 3 : wooden model making, optical illusions and snake drawings

• I liked the snake drawing. I like doing the illusion drawing.
• I like building my own butterfly.
• It was very fun and exciting.
• I liked doing the optical illusion and liked snake drawing.
• I enjoyed making the wooden crafts because it was fun.
• I really like today, it was really fun. I really enjoyed everything today. I really enjoyed 3D shapes today. Was the best day for me.

Day 4: Chinese New Year and BSL / Deaf awareness and games

Lunch time runarounds!

Survey results

Thank you all for your kindness and support
 
Amazing work all through the week. Hopefully the HAF doesn’t finish as these kids need a place to go and in some cases some food too
 
Real Arts Workshops are great as usual privilege to volunteer for them
 
Amazing!!😀
 
It is very nice when we get to go out to football also 👍