Feeding Britain

There's no place for hunger in the UK. Access to good quality food for all is possible, and essential for a thriving society.

We are an independent charity, established by members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger, to help put into practice the recommendations set out in the group’s Feeding Britain reports. Our objective is to work towards a hunger-free UK. We are pursuing this objective by working with partners across the country to relieve and prevent hunger, and working for reforms at a national level to reduce the nation’s vulnerability to hunger.

18/08/2026

For families already facing financial pressures, the six-week summer holidays can be an especially difficult time.

Carrie Hirst, CEO of the Dalgarno_trust in North Kensington, explains how HAF funding allows their community centre to provide a safe and welcoming place for local children throughout the holidays.

From nutritious meals and fresh fruit to kayaking, football, basketball and arts and crafts, HAF helps children stay active and eat well during their summer, all the while easing some of the financial pressure on families.

From September 2026, around 500,000 children who will qualify for free school meals during term time will still be excluded from HAF during the school holidays. Feeding Britain is calling on the Government to ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF.

Sign our petition here to help make this happen: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

17/08/2026

Every child deserves the chance to discover something new.

HAF gives children and young people the chance to learn by doing and discover things they might never otherwise have had the chance to try. These experiences can spark new interests and create lasting memories long after the school holidays are over.

We’re calling on the Government to ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF.

Sign our petition today and help enable these opportunities for children and young people: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

12/08/2026

Behind every great HAF club is a team of dedicated staff and volunteers.

They create safe, welcoming spaces where children and young people can enjoy nutritious meals, try new activities, make friends and build confidence. They get to know families whilst providing trusted support to make every child feel included.

From September 2026, new eligibility rules risk placing even more administrative pressure on these teams. Instead of spending their time supporting children, providers could find themselves focusing their energy on checking eligibility and managing disappointment when some children qualify and others do not.

As one HAF provider put it:

"This is so confusing for parents and the HAF club or council... This will take time and therefore cost money, when we should be focusing on ensuring as many children as possible can attend HAF."

Staff and volunteers should be able to focus on what they do best: helping children and young people have safe and enriching school holidays.

Sign our petition and help ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

11/08/2026

“It gives them structure, it keeps them active, and it also helps them with the cost of living.”

In this clip, Darren Simpson from Walton Youth Community Project shares how HAF clubs provide healthy meals, activities, social connections and structure for children and young people, while easing the pressure on parents facing rising living costs.

From September 2026, around 500,000 children and young people who qualify for free school meals during term time will still be excluded from HAF because of the current eligibility criteria.

Every child deserves the chance to eat well, stay active and enjoy their holidays. Sign our petition and help ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

05/08/2026

Physical activity is a key part of every Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

By combining nutritious meals with opportunities to get active, HAF helps children and young people build healthy habits that last beyond the school holidays. Time spent playing outdoors, taking part in sport, building teamwork skills and exploring new activities helps children develop confidence and encourages a lifelong enjoyment of being active.

As one HAF provider shared:
"...they're exercising without knowing it, they're laughing, they're having fun – they otherwise might just be sitting indoors on video games, not getting any sunshine, not getting any social interaction."

From September 2026, around 500,000 children who will qualify for free school meals during term time will still be excluded from HAF during the school holidays. Feeding Britain is calling on the Government to ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF.

Sign our petition here to help make this happen: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

04/08/2026

The school holidays should be a time for children to play, build confidence, and make lasting memories. But the holidays can bring additional pressures around time and budgets with too many children going without the food or fulfilment they need to survive.

We're very grateful for the support of Comic Relief and Sainsbury's who have committed to funding additional holiday club places until 2029. But, to close the holiday hunger gap for good, we need continued system-wide action until no child goes hungry.

03/08/2026

Every child deserves the support they need to thrive.

Across the UK, holiday clubs provide specialist support for children and young people facing additional challenges. Whether it's a child awaiting an autism diagnosis, a young person with learning disabilities, or a family experiencing illness or social isolation, HAF creates safe spaces where children can build confidence and develop friendships.

But from September, around 500,000 children who will qualify for free school meals during term time will still be excluded from HAF during the school holidays under current plans. That means losing access not only to nutritious meals, but also to the trusted relationships and specialist support that many families rely on.

We're calling on the Government to ensure every child eligible for free school meals can also access HAF.

Please sign our petition and help protect this vital support: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

29/07/2026

HAF Providers across our network frequently share with us the vital impact that HAF has on their community. As Sharon Munroe from Equilibrium North West explains, HAF provides children with a safe place to go during the holidays where they can access nutritious food and enrichment activities. This becomes particularly important in areas facing higher levels of poverty and hunger where whole communities can benefit from HAF provision.

One of our key concerns with the current plans to dissolve the link between Free School Meals and HAF is that this will further divide communities. As one HAF provider in Merseyside shared with us:

“[The children who are eligible] have got friends who can’t come. Their friends live on the same street, their mum might earn an extra £15 a week, and that’s not going to equate to really good high quality food every day. It’s singling the kids out. Just because your parents work, you’re not entitled to this bit of fun that we’ve got to give you […] There shouldn’t be haves and have-nots; it should be a universal offer so all children are fed, safe and happy.”

Please support our campaign by signing the petition calling on the Government to maintain the link between Free School Meals and HAF so that all children in areas facing higher levels of deprivation are supported and have access to a nutritional safety net: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

28/07/2026

HAF is about so much more than food.

School holidays are an opportunity for children and young people across the country to build confidence, make friends and memories, try new experiences and feel part of their communities. But, for many struggling and working families, holiday activities can be an extra they simply cannot afford. This is where HAF's benefits extend beyond access to healthy food.

For many families, HAF provides access to trusted adults, specialist support and opportunities that simply wouldn't otherwise be available.

From September 2026, around 500,000 children who will qualify for free school meals during term time will still be excluded from HAF during the school holidays.

Every child deserves these opportunities.

Sign our petition and help ensure every child who qualifies for free school meals can also access HAF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

27/07/2026

For thousands of children and young people, holiday clubs provide safe spaces for their wellbeing to flourish.

Across the UK, they give young people a safe space to make friends, stay active, develop skills and confidence, and enjoy experiences that many families simply couldn't otherwise afford. Parents tell us their children come home full of stories from days spent laughing, building friendships and learning new things.

As one parent shared:
"My children have got their own holiday club friends... they're exercising without knowing it, they're laughing, they're having fun... There is not one single phone there – all they do is talk and play and run around and laugh."

But from September 2026, around 500,000 children and young people who will qualify for free school meals under the expanded eligibility criteria will still be excluded from HAF, missing out not only on nutritious meals, but on the social, emotional and physical benefits the programme delivers.

As our briefing makes clear, what needs to change is simple: the Government should keep free school meals and HAF eligibility linked, so every child who becomes eligible for free school meals can also access holiday provision.

Please sign our petition below and help ensure every eligible child and young person can thrive during the school holidays: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform

Address

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Website

https://www.feedingbritain.org/, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1ra

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