The Easter Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) will be running from Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April for all eligible children, young people, and families. We will be holding a provider event on Monday 9 March 4pm-6.30pm at Central Link Family Hub, Peter Street, St Helens, WA10 2EB. We would like to invite parents/carers and children/young people to drop in and meet with HAF providers to have a better idea of what activities are on offer and an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you may have. Refreshments will be available. Those who wish to attend must be eligible to access the HAF programme. If you require any further information, please call Central Link Family Hub 01744 673445.
Funded by the Department for Education, our FREE holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides healthy food and enriching activities for primary and secondary school-aged children eligible for benefits-related free school meals.
The aim of the programme is to:
support children to eat healthier and be more active over the school holidays
give children a greater knowledge of health and nutrition
enable children to become more engaged with school and other local services.
HAF Easter Programme 2026
We've produced an action-packed fun guide to show you all of the great things that are happening across St Helens borough over the Easter holidays.
If your child is aged 4-18 and eligible for benefit related free school meal sand would like to attend, please see our list of providers who will be running the activities. Children who are in receipt of a support plan or EHCP are also eligible for the HAF programme.
Take a look at our HAF Easter 2026 Guide (PDF, 10 MB)(opens new window) to see what is happening near you. The guide is presented in a handy calendar format to help you plan activities for each day during the school holidays.
Find FREE events and activities suitable for you using the age ranges next to the listings.
We have endeavoured to ensure that all sessions are SEND friendly, but would advise you to pre-book sessions and speak to the facilitator for further information on suitability and individual requirements for your children.
Activities are subject to change at short notice and places are subject to availability.
We will be further announcing details of 2 Family Hub trips on Monday 16th March and Tuesday 17th March, and booking dates for both trips will be announced with the details of these trips.
Click the images below to view activities taking place between Monday 30th March to Saturday 11th April or view the HAF Easter 2026 Guide on our website.
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HAF Easter 2026 page 2
HAF Easter 2026 page 2
Photos from previous sessions
A selection of photographs from our Winter HAF Programme 2025
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HAF Winter Programme
HAF Winter Programme
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HAF Winter Programme 11
HAF Winter Programme 11
Is my child eligible?
The HAF programme is primarily for children aged 4-18 years who are eligible for and receiving benefits-related free school meals. Children are also eligible if:
they are in receipt of a support plan via Early Help, Child In Need or Children We Look After
they have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)
they receive additional hours at school
they are an asylum seeker or refugee
Not all activity providers will be able to accommodate the full age range of the programme. Please check with the provider what age group is appropriate to their activity.
Do you have provision for children with SEND?
We have SEND specific and SEND accessible activities for children across the programme. Look out for this key guide:
SS -SEND Specific: solely for children and young people with SEND and their families (mild to moderate additional needs)
S - SEND Friendly: venue or event where providers have general SEND awareness and small adjustments can be made
SA -SEND Accessible: physically accessible venue or event
SE - SEND Expertise: solely for children and young people with SEND and their families (complex additional needs)
F - Family Friendly: accessible for all families.
How do we access the programme?
To access the programme, simply book a place through one of the providers we list. Please note that booking details differ depending on each provider.
