Summer Programme hailed a success for York RLFC Foundation

More than one thousand children took part in York RLFC Foundation's Summer 2025 holiday sessions, held across the six week school break!

The Foundation held more than 60 sessions across numerous venues across York and North Yorkshire, with our team leading an incredible 50 events in York, six Special Education Needs sessions with our partners at Bee-able, and community sessions in Selby and Scarborough.

We were also delighted to have York Knights' players join us at some of the sessions, including hooker, Taylor Pemberton.

The aim of the sessions is not only to inspire the next generation of York RLFC players but also to play a vital role in helping make school holidays more active and more enjoyable.

The majority of sessions use our inflatable arena in parks and open spaces to run pop-up, multi-sport sessions, bringing physical activity to local communities targeting young people aged 5-12 years old.

By using a multi-sport approach we broaden our appeal to the widest audience possible.

Many of our sessions received funding through the Department of Education, including our own Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes. Grants to local authorities allow free holiday activities and food to be provided to eligible children in receipt of free school meals. We were also able to distribute fresh fruit kindly provided by local supplier Simon Baynes Wholesale.

There were further contributions from local Ward Committee funding who added to the number and locations of sessions we were able to offer.

Adam Prentis, Foundation Delivery Manager said: "We are grateful for the support from the partners and families who attended our sessions and helped make this year's programme successful.

"Our aim was to build on previous years as well as help develop our current programmes and offers. We are constantly learning about the challenges of delivering the programme and how sessions are adapted to address these issues.

"Our Department of Education-funded sessions have the added benefit of not only providing enriching and fun activities but also providing healthy food to children across the county.

"We remain committed to providing holiday activity throughout the year and look forward to continuing this trend in the future.

"For our team of coaches to deliver this programme is something we can take pride in."

Our October half-term holiday schedule will be published in the coming weeks and will appear on our website.

If you have any specific questions in the meantime, please contact a.prentis@yorkrlfc.com or call 01904 670870.

For more information on the vital work that the York RLFC Foundation delivers across our community, please click HERE!

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