Over 250 volunteers gave their time and skills to support local families across Middlesbrough and Cleveland this summer.

Some travelled to several different clubs to help out, including students full of energy right through to people in their eighties – still full of energy!

‘Feast of Fun’ is an initiative of Together Middlesbrough & Cleveland, a joint venture between the Church Urban Fund and the Diocese of York.

“I volunteer at the holiday club as I wanted to give something back. It’s great to see the children enjoying themselves rather than being inside sat on computer games.”

“I am a widow and would have just made myself a sandwich to eat today; how wonderful to sit at a table with all these families to enjoy a meal, it’s like one big happy family!”

23 Feast of Fun groups across Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland provided lots of activities, healthy food and trips for 1,000 children and their families. Each club had a special theme such as Knights and Dragons in Easterside, Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in North Ormesby and Superheroes in Berwick Hills.

Development Officer Heather Black said, “We’ve had a wonderful time visiting all the clubs and joining in the fun, as well as taking time to listen to parents and children to find out how Feast of Fun makes a difference to their summer holidays.”

The children loved all the activities: “This place is always fun to come here.”

“I like that it’s always fun and I love it because we always make new friends.”

Parents were grateful for Feast of Fun relieving some of the pressure at home: “I’ve got three children and it’s like, ‘Oh, what am I going to feed them every single day for dinner?’”

“We struggle. We’re not a very well off family to be honest. Without the church we’d just be stuck at home most of the days.”

There were 12 trips to the Moors National Park Centre at Danby where families charmed worms, learned survival skills, went geocaching, and much more, with several trips to the Bowes Museum for BFG-themed fun and other groups visiting Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) for artistic activities followed by a healthy lunch. Partnership with Northern Rail this year enabled two groups to travel to the seaside, while others were able to have cheap days out thanks to discounted travel on Stagecoach Buses.

For the third year running Quorn Foods donated thousands of sausages and burgers for family barbecues, and Quorn staff gave local groups wonderful cooking experiences, alongside other local chefs who gave their time to cook food with the children.

The National Literacy Trust donated books to some Feast of Fun holiday Clubs across Redcar & Cleveland as part of the Summer Read Literacy Project, with a book for each child as well as books relating to the specific theme of each holiday club.

Heather Black added, “In whatever way you have been involved with Feast of Fun, whether by volunteering time to entertain the children and cook for them, or by supporting Feast of Fun financially and in prayer, we’d like to say a huge thank you; your support has made a difference to hundreds of local families this summer.”

www.togethermc.org.uk