Charity delivers sports activities and meals to kids

Busy Birmingham parents looking for activities to keep their youngsters entertained during the summer holidays are encouraged to take advantage of a series of sports camps.

Delivered by Digbeth-based charity Sport 4 Life UK, children aged between 11 and 16, including those who are eligible for free school meals, will be targeted to participate in sports including football, golf, dodgeball and tennis.

The camps run throughout the day Monday to Thursday at sites including Hodge Hill College, the Muath Trust and Fox Hollies Leisure Centre in Acocks Green. People are advised to book in advance via the StreetGames website here, as some events have limited availability.

The sessions are being funded by the Government 's Holiday Activities and Food Programme and are part of the Bring it on Brum initiative aimed at keeping young people active and entertained during the break.

At the camps, Sport 4 Life UK, will distribute food and refreshments among participants. There is also an 'enrichment ' element to the sessions covering personal responsibility and skills development opportunities.

Sport 4 Life UK CEO and founder Tom Clarke-Forrest, said: “The summer holidays can be a stressful time for families, with parents juggling work commitments while trying to keep children entertained.

“The Sports Camps can help to alleviate those pressures by providing fun sports activities alongside mentoring and skills development.

“We 've been delivering Sports Camps for a number of years and they are a great way to engage youngsters who perhaps wouldn 't have been reached by our programmes, which can make a real difference in terms of enhancing someone 's life chances.

"Our teams of trained sports coaches are really excited about welcoming youngsters along in the next few weeks. ”

Established in 2006, Sport 4 Life UK exists to provide sports-themed personal development programmes to people aged between 11 and 29 years old and who are not in education, employment or training.

In the year to June 2021, the charity supported a total of 1015 youngsters with on and offline mentoring, qualifications, and training programmes, in addition to structured sports sessions.

That figure is expected to grow over the next 12 months, as a result of the impact of the pandemic on the economy.