Operating in some of the most deprived areas in the UK, the West Ham United Foundation (WHUF) was extremely proud to carry out another set of excellent initiatives over the summer holidays.
Both Holiday Hammers and the Holiday Activities and Food Programme were successful in providing children with over 600 hours of physical activities, 2,000 healthy meals and supporting families in need.
Led by the WHUF, Holiday Hammers is a series of courses run during the school holidays which welcomes children of all abilities, aged 5 to 15, to take part in a range of football activities.
Running across four weeks over the summer holidays, participants were invited to a whole host of venues across the community including Beckton, Harlow, Chelmsford, Upminster and Romford, to work on their football skills. Over 550 young players took part in our latest edition of Holiday Hammers, including a substantial uptake in female participation.
Through teamwork activities and challenges, our Holiday Hammers not only developed their technical ability with our coaches, but they were also able to build new friendships and have fun. Social skills have been vital for young people since returning from the pandemic. This summer has shown us how impactful these camps are, with friendships being formed across all age groups. The power of football has undoubtedly brought all these young people together and forged great long-lasting bonds.
Our Player Development Manager, Luke Hirst, was pleased with both the coaches and the players' work on and off the pitch. “We are thrilled to be running again this October Half Term and excited to see so many happy participants joining us again!” he said. “The work the team have put in over the summer has been noticed by the interest to return this coming half-term.”
Another successful initiative the WHUF was proud to carry out over the summer was the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF). In light of the struggles facing families across the community following the pandemic, exacerbated by inflation and the cost of living crisis, the HAF Programme is dedicated to providing children eligible for free school meals, aged between seven and 16 years old, with opportunities to engage in healthy physical activities and supply hot meals.
Since 2017, through the initiative the Foundation has delivered approximately 18,000 meals. Over 14,000 of these have been delivered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, testament to the tremendous impact the HAF has had during these difficult times.
Alluding to the harsh economic circumstances facing the community and subsequent uptake in the HAF was our Schools Development Manager, Ross Williams: “West Ham United Foundation are committed to supporting our community and given the current climate with the increased cost of living, we are noting a higher level of demand for our Holiday Activities and Food Programme provision than ever before. West Ham United Foundation are and will continue to respond to the local need through the upcoming holiday periods.”
In addition to physical activities, HAF also provided children with a wide range of services, including healthy and affordable recipes, day trips and workshops involving arts and crafts and discussions which invited participants to discuss hot topics such as mental health and racism.
Furthermore, as part of the Club’s Players’ Project, HAF participants at WHUF’s Beckton also received a surprise visit from Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček. The Czech internationals posed for photos, signed autographs and engaged in activities. “This Foundation helps people and especially with these children they can play games here and meet new friends. I am really happy West Ham do these things. I really support this!” added Souček following a game of football tennis.
Throughout the five weeks during which the programme was running, HAF registered 2,000 attendees. Spearheading the initiative was our Programme Development Officer, Courtney Bullis, who was proud to announce the amazing impact HAF has had over the holidays, saying: “This summer we have had the pleasure of working with nearly 2,000 families across Essex and East London. We have been committed to developing our community through this programme.
“We have been able to offer young people between seven and 16 years old over 400 hours of physical activity, provided 2,000 meals and engaged in 12 designated enrichment activities.”
If you or anyone you know is eligible for HAF, please contact Courtney Bullis at [email protected]
For information on upcoming Holiday Hammers session dates during the October half-term, stay tuned across the WHUF social media channels. For further details on how to book, visit our website at foundation.whufc.com
