Latest
No results found
A metal lunchbox with fruit, vegetables, and a wrap sits on a wooden classroom table.

North Yorkshire FEAST opens free summer activity bookings

Bookings for this summer’s FEAST Holiday Activities and Food Programme open today, June 22, giving eligible North Yorkshire families a route into fully-funded holiday sessions with food included.

The programme runs at various locations across North Yorkshire during the school holidays and is aimed at children aged five to 16. It is fully funded for children and young people who receive benefits-related free school meals.

Detail What families need to know
Programme FEAST Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Location Various locations across North Yorkshire
Booking date Bookings for summer activities open on June 22
Time Session times vary by activity and provider
Cost Fully funded for eligible children and young people
Age range Children aged five to 16
Food Nutritious food is provided

Free holiday places across North Yorkshire

FEAST is North Yorkshire’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, run by North Yorkshire Council. It offers fully-funded holiday activities with food for eligible children and young people, helping families access structured sessions that might otherwise be out of reach because of cost.

This summer’s offer includes sports, outdoor adventures, computer programming, dance and animal care. Places are delivered through activity providers across the county, so the exact location, date and time will depend on the session a family chooses when booking.

For families comparing similar school-holiday support elsewhere, Demoduck has also covered free summer food and activity dates in other areas.

Warren’s first FEAST session became a turning point

The council highlighted the story of Warren Dykes, who first came across Desapline Martial Arts in Scarborough through FEAST when he was 14. At the time, he had been expelled from school and was dealing with instability at home.

Warren said his behaviour had been “all over the place”, including getting into trouble and starting fights. But when he arrived at Desapline, centre operator Andy Desa said Warren settled quickly into the structure of training.

He returned the next day, kept coming back, moved through gradings and began competing. He has since competed internationally and won multiple medals, including silver at a world championship in Hungary.

Cllr Heather Phillips, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services with responsibility for stronger communities, said Warren’s experience showed what FEAST can mean for families across the county. She said a single school-holiday opportunity gave him structure, confidence and a sense of belonging.

Activities include sport, coding, dance and animal care

The FEAST programme is designed around active, social and creative sessions rather than one fixed event site. That means eligible families should check the booking system for activities available near them, including the provider, location and session time.

The council said FEAST has supported thousands of children during the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays over the past three years. Alongside activity sessions, the programme includes nutritious food.

Warren has now returned to sessions as a volunteer, helping younger children, including those attending through FEAST. Andy Desa said the programme brings in children who may not otherwise walk through the door of structured activity clubs.

How eligible families can book

Families can find details and book summer FEAST places through the North Yorkshire Together FEAST booking page. The council says bookings for this summer’s activities go live on June 22.

Parents and carers should check each listed activity for its own venue, date, time and provider details before booking, as the programme is delivered across various locations in North Yorkshire.

Source: North Yorkshire Council

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first!
Aisha Patel

Aisha Patel

Author

Aisha Patel is a local news editor covering North Yorkshire governance, public services, planning decisions and community concerns. She has a background in regional reporting and focuses on clear, verified updates for residents, checking official documents, meeting records and local sources to explain how decisions affect everyday life across towns, villages and rural communities

More Stories