SUMMER camps, activities, and small group projects for young people can now go ahead over the school holidays after successful bids for funding.

Wirral Council's children's services team has secured the money via Edsential’s Holiday Activity Fund, which will help to build confidence ahead of the new school year and keep young people occupied during the summer.

To support children who are looked after, Wirral's Health Services in Schools (HSIS) will use part of the funding to provide an August summer holiday activity camp - based at Barnstondale over four weeks, with a new intake of young people each week.

The project will focus on transition, friendship, relaxation and mindfulness; helping to build confidence and reduce any anxiety around the move to secondary school in September.

Indoor and outdoor activities will be on offer over three days, while on the fourth day young people will take part in a 'beach schools' event including rock pooling, sand creations, and an environmental awareness beach cleaning session.

A celebration event to reflect and share experiences will take place at the end.

In addition to the camp, Wirral's youth and play service has secured funding to provide summer engagement to young people aged 11-19 via eight Youth Hubs this summer. This will include online cookery bake-offs, the delivery of arts and crafts activity packs, mountain biking, and some small group work.

The Youth and Play Service project will also focus on emotional wellbeing, mental and physical health.

A video will capture young people's views on their lockdown experience, while a transition project will offer online activities to support the journey from primary to secondary school and help to develop new friendship groups.

For families and young people who are in crisis, a therapeutic ‘forest school’ summer programme will deliver an outdoor holiday experience in a tranquil Wirral setting.

These experiences will provide a safe space for families to recharge and take part in a range of activities, including biking, camp craft, mindfulness sessions, and socially distanced team games. Each day will finish with a BBQ and a ‘celebration of strength’ presentation.

Activities and food for eligible free school meal children

Working with Edsential’s Summer Holiday programme, the council will provide free meals and activities for eligible children and families across Wirral during the summer holidays.

This year there are more than 100 holiday clubs, offering a range of physical activities, diverse enrichment sessions, and a host of online resources.

Cllr Tom Usher, cabinet member for children, families and education, said: "This funding will offer a huge boost to so many young people.

"The big move to secondary school can be a daunting one - with so much change around the corner, and six weeks to wait to find out what the future of school looks like.

"These activities will help to keep young people occupied during the holidays and bring families who need it together, away from the pressures of everyday life.

I hope everyone enjoys the experience and makes some great memories."

The lockdown continues to ease, but the summer activities will take place with social distancing rules.

The summer camp will:

Work in two pods of eight people (Three staff and five young people).

Operate temperature testing on entry and hand wash/sanitising throughout the day.

Comply with social distancing due to a large amount of outdoor and indoor space.

For more details on one of the summer projects, contact:

Summer camp: Michelle Langan (HSIS team leader): michellelangan@wirral.gov.uk or 07769967607.

Youth and play service: Steve Chan (service manager): stevechan@wirral.gov.uk or 0151 666 4960.