Winter HAF Schemes for Young People Dec 2025 - Jan 2026

Amazing Winter Creativity across 3 local authorities

Evidence shows that free holiday clubs such as the HAF scheme can have a positive impact on children and young people, and provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities.

We were delighted to be awarded funding from 3 separate West Midlands local authorities to deliver meaningful sessions during the Christmas school holidays.

​RAW aimed to achieve the following outcomes, among others, for the young people we worked with in this scheme:

• reduce isolation,
• develop confidence,
• learn new things,
• have fun,
• improve mental health,
• eliminate boredom
• create new artworks that didn’t exist before
• improve self confidence

WOLVERHAMPTON WINTER HAF SCHEME

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.

Our team is compassionate, and patient and all the young people were able to create some artworks(s) and learn some BSL.
We commissioned an art therapist to lead a Vision Boards and Calendar making session where young people were able to visualise their aspirations for the coming year.

We invited parents to attend a British Sign Language tuition workshop at our final session at Bob Jones Community Hub. Some parents did attend and took part in the session and some of their feedback is shown below. We also held a ‘pop-up’ art gallery displaying some artwork made by young people in our previous HAF sessions over the past couple of years.

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.

More photos available on our Instagram and Facebook pages

DUDLEY WINTER HAF SCHEME

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.

We had use of the classroom at Green Park Community Centre, DY2 7LG.
At lunchtimes we were able to use the small playground and neighbouring football courts to allow the children to get some fresh air and exercise.
 
Some of the young people who attended had additional needs and health conditions , eg

• Autism
• Neuro Diverse
• ADHD
• Dyspraxia
• Genetic condition NF1
• Attachment/developmental trauma
• Behavioural linked to attachment/trauma ADHD
• Sensory-neural deafness - cochlear implants

Our team is compassionate, and patient and all the young people were able to create something and learn some BSL. There were no safeguarding issues in this scheme.

Selection of Photos - Dudley

More photos available on our Instagram and Facebook pages

Recipe and food packs from Black Country Food Bank

We were able to distribute some amazing recipe and ingredients packs provided by Black Country Food Bank. They went down very well with families who had already made the chicken curry and spaghetti Bolognese!

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.

SANDWELL WINTER HAF SCHEME

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).

We had use of the upstairs room at Wednesbury Library and were well looked after by the staff there. An access lift was available for those that needed it.
At lunchtimes we were able to use the small memorial garden opposite the library to allow the children to get some fresh air and exercise.
 
Some of the young people had additional needs , eg

• Autism
• ADHD
• Neurological disorder affecting mobilty and cognition
• Speech and language difficulties

Selection of Photos - Sandwell

More photos available on our Instagram and Facebook pages

​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

 

THANK YOU!

We are enormously grateful to the Department for Education for funding our (and many others across the region) Winter HAF scheme 2025-6.
We can see the real benefit these type of activities have for families particularly in the school holidays.

Thanks also to the local councils for choosing our scheme to be funded, we know there are numerous programmes and applications and it would be impossible to fund them all.

Thanks to all our venues for their commitment and support and caterers: ASANdwich in Wolverhampton, Jenny's Kitchen in Dudley and 2MUCH Passion CIC in Sandwell. The young people LOVE the food you have provided with so much love.

Thanks to all staff, volunteers, freelancers, interpreters and our own families who allow us the time to prepare, research, test, develop, plan, budget and all the other things that go on behind the scenes.