Holidays Are Fun annual report 2023 to 2024

Teesside, located in the North East of England, is a vibrant and historically rich region that offers a blend of industrial heritage, stunning landscapes, and cultural attractions. Teesside was once renowned for its manufacturing industries, with large steelworks dominating the landscape. Later, these steelworks were joined by chemical industries, many of which remain. In contrast to the heavy industry in Teesside the coastline offers stunning sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, and picturesque seaside towns, whilst inland there are beautiful hills, moors, forests and a regenerated riverside area for residents and visitors to explore.

Within Teesside sits the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Once a historic market town, the Stockton-on-Tees borough has expanded over the years and is now a large area encompassing Billingham, Ingleby Barwick, Norton, Stockton, Thornaby, Yarm, and several rural villages.

The population of Stockton-on-Tees is approximately 200,000, made up of people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Within Stockton-on-Tees there are approximately 30,000 children between reception and year 11 on roll in our schools. Of these children we know around 8,800 are eligible to claim free school meals and are therefore entitled to access the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

Sadly, there are children in Stockton-on-Tees who have never experienced the culture or beauty the region has to offer, and this is why the HAF programme has been vital to our residents and the development of our children. HAF has offered enriching, exciting and life changing opportunities to some of our deprived families in Stockton-on-Tees, many of whom would never have otherwise visited a beach, a museum, a cinema or been horse riding for example.