Moray summer programme for young people gets extra funding
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MORAY Council has received an additional £256,000 of Scottish Government funding to further strengthen its summer activity programme.
The national "Get into Summer" campaign will see a range of partners across Moray join forces to target provision of holiday activities for young people who have been most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also brings in new provision where there is a need identified by the Children’s Services partnership, and by children and their families.
The priority is to improve the wellbeing of children and young people, providing opportunities for them to socialise and reconnect with peers during the summer through a range of activities, with food and family support integrated where needed.
Organisations such as Aberlour, the Grampian Autistic Society, No Worries in Moray, Women’s Aid, Dance North and many more are in line to receive funding as part of the programme so that they can enhance their activities and services.
Kim Paterson, acting educational resources manager for Moray Council, says the programme will re-engage young people in sports, arts, culture and social activities after the challenges of the pandemic.
She said: "The lives of young people have been far from normal for the past 16 months and we want Moray to thrive with opportunities for them to re-connect this summer. At Moray Council, we appreciate the benefits to mental health, as well as physical wellbeing, this programme will have for our young people, their parents and carers.
"The targeted summer programme of activities and support is shaped around what children, young people and their families across Moray have said they want and need to help them recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and re-engage in their local communities."
Convener of Moray Council Councillor Shona Morrison said: "The number and diverse range of activities on offer means that there will be something that will appeal to all age groups and interests.
"With the help of our partners, children and young people across Moray will be able to get into summer through participation in activities such as gymnastics, tennis, street football, family activities, filming, walks and pop-up events across Moray.
"I’d like to thank our partners who have worked extremely hard to develop these opportunities and who are committed to helping children and young people across Moray get into summer."
The development of the programme was informed by the views of children, young people and families.
Locality Networks gathered views from across the region and the feedback included the preference for face-to-face activities, specific opportunities for children with autism and ADHD, opportunities away from the school campus and transport for those that need it. Further information about transport will be available soon.
A website page has been developed to bring together all of the projects and booking information.
More information about Get into Summer in Scotland is available on the Parent Club website.
