Plymouth activities serve 24,000 children

'Fit and fed' days support families

Some 24,000 mainly free activities and taster sessions have been provided for children in Plymouth through the summer holidays as part of the city council’s ‘fit and fed’ programme to help with the cost of living.

Fit and fed days in city parks during August have seen hundreds of children from low-income families take part in sporting activities provided by 78 clubs, and other events.

Activities include cycling, archery, mini golf, oral health, fun science, inflatables and crafts.

The last event at Tothill Park last week saw 800 young people participate and 600 free lunches provided.

Plymouth City Council received funding from the Department for Education to coordinate a city-wide holiday activity and food programme during the 2023 Easter, summer and Christmas holidays to primarily support families with children who receive benefit related free school meals.

And this week the council will launch a cost-of-living action plan to provide help and support to city residents as the holiday period comes to an end and people continue to experience a stretch on their finances.

The council is working with Citizens Advice and the banks to help people with money advice, how best to budget on a low income and crisis support.

Families and young people will be first on the list but over the coming months there will help and signposting to other services on the subjects of housing, food, heating, employment and mental health and what warm and welcoming spaces are available.

Cabinet member for customer services, sport and leisure Cllr Sue Dann (Lab, Sutton and Mount Gould) said the council doesn’t have lots of funding but it can help people make their money go further.

“We know that nationally there are 50 per cent of people who are worried they will not be able to pay their bills this winter but because Plymouth is a low-income city that figure is 66 per cent. Many of these people are working and perhaps do not know where to start to get help because this is the first time they have had to.

“We want to work with partners, a multi agency approach so people right across the city come together to support people in the city to make sure they can get help and advice.

“There is no stigma attached to this… if you need help there is someone in the city who can help you.”

A recent cost of living workshop/ consultation event with local organisations, businesses and local residents brought forward many ideas and offers of help that are being worked into the plan, added Cllr Dann. The website has also been revamped and leaflets with useful information are being distributed.

“We want to make sure when we do go out and communicate a message we want it to be meaningful so that is why we have chosen two weeks before the schools return for our first communication wave which will be aimed at families and young people in education.”

One of the five themes in the plan is offers: “We do know and we know from covid that when people haven’t got any money or are stuck in their houses it is not good for their health or mental health which is why we organised the free activities over the summer,” said the councillor. “We have not waited on this… we started six weeks ago and there will be more offers to come.”

Cllr Dann said for people who didn’t have enough money the next level of help would be crisis support.

“The cost of living plan will not end, we are going to see how we can move it on then to tackle poverty generally in the city because we know this is going to be a growing issue. This is not going to stop.”