Oswestry’s football club’s charity team is offering a wide range of free holiday activities over the summer featuring multi-sports coaching plus lots of fun and games at venues across the area.
The New Saints FC Foundation is staging activities and events at Oswestry, Ellesmere, Weston Rhyn, Whittington, Gobowen, St Martins and Morda throughout the school summer holiday. The first sessions were held last week.
The Foundation has joined forces with partners across the area to run the free multi activity events for children and young people as part of the Shropshire Holiday Activities and Food programme.
The free sessions feature fun activities, sports and games open to children of all abilities from reception to Year 6.
Children at the holiday workshops receive a free meal. Details are available at The New Saints FC Foundation website at Holiday Activities – TNSFC Foundation.
There are also youth activities for those aged 11 to 16-years in Oswestry and Whittington also including a free meal.
Gill Jones of the Foundation said that since 2021 the DfE funded free Holiday Activities and Food programme had provided support to eligible children through holiday periods. But support from other local funders had allowed the Foundation to open up the free provision to all children and young people.
“The provision is very popular, and we would encourage everyone to book a place as soon as possible so that they don’t miss out,” she said.
She added that the sessions were supervised by the Foundation’s team of fully qualified and DBS checked sports activity coaches and youth workers.
The sessions for primary school children run at Woodside Primary School and The Meadows Primary School in Oswestry to the week starting August 25.
In the villages, sessions will be held at Gobowen Playing Fields, Weston Rhyn Institute and Rec, St Martins Centre and Whittington Castle Grounds and at the Senior Citizens Hall if the weather is wet.
Ellesmere children can sign up for their own programme of activities and free food taking place up to August 29 at Ellesmere Rangers FC in Beech Grove.
Holiday activities and free food for children from Morda and Sweeney are on offer every Friday to August 29 at Morda and Sweeney Village Hall.
For the older age groups, youth activities take place at The Centre Spot and Cae Glas Park in Oswestry split into separate sessions for 11 to 13-year-olds and 14 to 16-year-olds. These sessions also include a free meal.
Similar summer youth events will be staged by the Foundation team at Whittington Senior Citizens Hall or Whittington Castle as well as Park Hall Stadium, during the summer holidays. Details are available at Holiday Activities – TNSFC Foundation.