Businesses sponsor Healthy Holidays to help feed children this half term
The scheme, organised by Bramwell’s C.I.O, is a programme designed to help tackle holiday hunger as schools close during the half term break.
Bramwell’s C.I.O is a non-profit organisation located on Church Street, Dewsbury, which advocates social change through its projects.
More than 75 per cent of children in Kirklees benefit from free school meals, meaning many families struggle to feed their children during the holidays.
This project will provide a three-hour session including multi-sports, arts and crafts, dance, face painting and a free healthy halal friendly dinner, cooked by a trained chef and delivered by experienced youth workers and volunteers.
Tanisha Bramwell, founder of Bramwell’s C.I.O, said: “It is vital that we try to combat holiday hunger and provide support to families who rely on breakfast clubs and free school dinners.
“Last year when we ran this scheme we had 90 children and we only expected around 50.
“We originally put in a funding request to Kirklees Council to help fund this project. However, this request was declined.
“Because of this, we have gone to local businesses, who have provided the sponsorship needed to put the session on.”
The local businesses offering sponsorship to the Healthy Holidays scheme this year include Thomas Stoner Supplies, A&A Catering, Oakwell Rex, Keystore, Oasis Restaurant, Asda, Emojis, Zeb Driving School, Whitegates and the Creative Craft Centre.
Zeb Driving School in Batley said it is “pleased” and “proud” to be one of the sponsors of the Healthy Holidays Scheme this half term.
Mohammed Zeb said: “We are happy to help in providing children with essential healthy meals and enabling them to access free activities.
“We want to help support those families who may have greater needs within our community.”
Roger Seeney, bids and contracts manager at Thomas Stoner Supplies Ltd, based in Batley, said: “As a company Thomas Stoner Supplies understands that we have a responsibility to the Kirklees area and we are constantly striving to find new ways of engaging with the local community to improve people’s lives, to help overcome poverty and helping to feed them.
“This is why when Tanisha from Bramwell Sports Development Team contacted us to ask us if we wished to be involved in the Healthy Holidays programme, we were more than happy to sponsor this worthwhile venture and to highlight and raise awareness of holiday hunger in deprived areas across Kirklees.”
Whitegates letting agents in Dewsbury is also a sponsor for the Healthy Holiday project this half term.
Camran Ishaq, director, said: “We want to support local groups and charities within the local area.
“We have supported a lot of charities such as the homeless kitchen, local football club and food banks and at the start of the pandemic we were also one of the first businesses which did a food collection from the local supermarket.
“It’s about giving back to the community.”
On Wednesday, February 23, Amaar Akbar, a Frank Warren signed boxer, and Gary Sykes, former British boxing champion. will be joining the session too.
This year Tanisha is expecting more children to attend the project due to the current national cost-of-living crisis.
Although the project specifically targets children on free school meals and struggling families, the project is open to all children regardless of background.
The sessions started today (Tuesday) but continue to run Wednesday and Thursday this week at Westmoor Primary School, Dewsbury, from 10.30am-1.30pm and the cost is £2 per day, per child.
Limited spaces are available. However, bookings can be made at [email protected] or through directly contacting Tanisha on 07957 067469.