Northamptonshire free summer holiday sessions 'massive' for parents

Daniel brings his son Bobby to the free holiday activities

A father says free food and fitness sessions provided to children in his county during the summer school holidays are "a massive help".

Thousands of Northamptonshire children will benefit from the government's Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

Parent Daniel said being able to take his son Bobby to sessions for free meant access to activities he would otherwise be unable to afford.

"We wouldn't be able to do it otherwise," he said.

The scheme, which is helping 26,000 children in the county, has been funded as a result of a campaign by England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford.

Paid for by the Department for Education, it is for children and young people aged from five to 16 who receive benefit-related free school meals.

Local authorities take individual responsibility for administering the scheme, which in Northamptonshire is run by Northamptonshire Sport.

The sessions range from drama to computer programming but they all include some physical exercise.

Dad Daniel, who is separated from Bobby's mum and has a full-time job, takes his son to a coding group at Kettering Cricket Club.

"You get lunch as well so we don't have to make a packed lunch for him and they've got snacks during the day as well. It's a massive help," he said.

James Green, from Jam Coding, which runs the sessions in Kettering, said: "We get children from all sorts of backgrounds - children who are adopted, children who are in foster care, children who have just lost a parent or have had a major disruption in their life at home.

"They get fed every day... on top of that, they get the enrichment of the computer activities as well."