Getting ready for Winter Holiday Activity and Food Programme

Booking for Winter HAF and HAP

Booking will open from midday on 1 December. Make sure you’re ready to book by checking your account now-visit the Family Hub website and booking system here. Use our handy checklist below to make sure that:

• All your children have an individual profile added to your account.
• Emergency contact details are filled in for each child profile
• Any additional needs or disability information is included for each child profile
• Your details reflect any recent changes (e.g. new address, phone contact details)

Keeping your profiles up to date helps ensure smooth bookings and the best support for your child. A complete and up to date profile means:

• Faster bookings
• Better support for your children
• Fewer delays or issues during HAF session

Specialist SEND Community Connector

As the specialist SEND Community Connector for the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme and Holiday Activities Programme (HAP) for Gloucestershire County Council, the Parent Carer Alliance remains committed to building connections, reducing barriers, and ensuring that families of children and young people with SEND have access to safe, enjoyable, and meaningful activities throughout the year.

The summer programme showed that with careful planning, flexibility, and a focus on accessibility, every child can experience the joy and enrichment that inclusive opportunities bring and now the Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) returns for winter with lots of fun activities and delicious food available for children and families from 20 December to 4 January.

Inclusive and accessible activities

The summer programme was designed to meet the diverse needs of SEND families, offering a mix of structured activities and flexible, low-pressure opportunities. Highlights included trips to Westonbirt Arboretum, Birdland Park and Gardens, and a range of sensory play sessions. These experiences were fully inclusive, allowing children and young people to participate at their own pace, with accessibility at the centre of planning.

Parents really appreciated activities where their children could engage without pressure. One parent shared their experience at Birdland:

“We liked Birdland as my son cannot access organised or indoor activities. Birdland enabled us to walk round in our own time and leave when he had enough. There was no pressure to do or be somewhere at a specific time or stay with a group. It was the only HAP activity we booked that my son was able to access and remain at.”

This feedback highlights the importance of offering environments that are flexible, supportive, and truly accessible. And call diets are catered for,

Growing reach and impact

This year also marked a milestone: The delivery of our first Holiday Activities Programme (HAP) event, which was fully booked, demonstrating strong demand for inclusive, family-friendly activities tailored to children and young people with SEND – and we catered for all types of diet.  We look forward to welcoming SEND families to the programmes over the winter holidays. If you want to know how your SEND family can access the Holiday and Food Programme and Holiday Activity Programme in Gloucestershire? Visit the Virtual Family Huband click on the HAF Community Connectors section.

For more information on a range of activities for you and your child, please visit, you can also visit Support for Families with SEND, Gloucestershire's Local Offer   and see the work of the Parent Carer Alliance and their role as a SEND Community Connector.

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