Tranmere Rovers in the Community work in partnership with Cheshire West to provide children in care with activity packed holiday scheme.
In 2010 Tranmere Rovers in the Community created a partnership with Cheshire West to provide a fun-filled holiday scheme for Children in Care and we are using the EFL’s Day of Action to highlight the fantastic work they do.
The scheme is focused on sport and education and gives the children the opportunity to take part in activities that enhance their wellbeing, fitness, confidence, and social skills as well as education and self-esteem. It also provides valuable support to foster placement during the school holidays.
Over the years several hundred children in care have enjoyed and benefitted from the Scheme. The children participate in multi-sports and fitness sessions ranging from Uni-hoc to football to dance sessions. The youngsters have been given opportunities to try new outdoor pursuits such as canoeing, artificial rock climbing, hill walking, raft building, and racing. The scheme holds regular social activities such as day trips to museums, the theatre, ice skating, ten-pin bowling, and days out to the beach, which has all proved to be popular. The Holiday Scheme runs during each school holiday for 3 days each week and in the long summer holiday, it runs for 4 days each week.
This half term has seen the children head off to the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm, Go Ape, and took a trip to the Cinema.
In addition to the fun and social activities, education support is also offered to the children through a weekly homework club. This club runs a week during term time and provides study sessions focus in particular on numeracy, literacy and ICT skills with a sporting and social aspect also attached to help increase confidence and social skills.
Speaking to the senior manager of Cheshire West Children’s Service she said:
“The partnership of Tranmere Rovers and Cheshire West Children's Service has created a Scheme that has proved an outstanding success. The Scheme has definitely achieved its purpose and had a lasting impact of the children involved and been an invaluable support to foster carers on occasion being a key contributing factor in enabling a foster placement to endure until the young person was ready to move into independence.”
“The children have enhanced their educational attainment through the homework club, they improved their fitness and general health through our sports sessions and walks, developed life skills and social networking opportunities through their interaction with adults and like-minded children.”
“The Scheme has given much needed structure that some children require during the school holidays and something to look forward to when away from school. It has also afforded them the opportunity to mix with other children enabling them to open up to boys and girls who are from similar backgrounds who understand their situations.”
“The Holiday Scheme has given the children and young people fun, lasting friendships, confidence to face new challenges, great memories and successes, and achievements that have helped them grow as individuals.”