Council To Help Young People To Reconnect

Children and young people in Swale who receive free school meals are being offered the chance to take part in a range of activities to help them reconnect with their lives before the pandemic.

Swale Borough Council have been working with local providers to subsidise a range of activities – from swimming sessions to cinema tickets – thanks to £12,500 of funding from Kent County Council’s Reconnect programme.

Cllr Richard Palmer, cabinet member for communities at the council, told SFM News: "Since the pandemic began, we have all struggled, but I do think that sometimes we forget about the impact on our children and young people. Most parents complain about their kids being on screens too much, but for large parts of the last 18 months, they – like the rest of us – simply haven’t been allowed out. It’s not just their education that has been impacted, but also their social development has been stifled by the pandemic".

Cllr Palmer went on to add: “Kent County Council are running a range of activities to help children and young people reconnect with the things they used to do before the pandemic. They have kindly supported us with some funding for activities for those children and young people on free school meals so we can help make sure they get the opportunities which we hope will help them reconnect with their pre-covid lives again.”

The activities being supported by Swale Council between Monday 26th July until Sunday 5th September are:

Subsidised swimming tickets at Faversham, Swallows and Sheerness pools:

Faversham Town Pool sessions will run between 9am to 2pm, and 2:30pm until close, every day. Under 10s must be accompanied by an adult). To book visit www.favershampools.com/booking or call 01795 532426

• Family ticket £15 / single child £3
• Tickets for Swallows/ Sheerness will be available from reception at each leisure centre
• Family ticket £10 / single child £3
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Subsidised activity mornings at The Light Cinema, Sittingbourne:

Activity Club mornings at The Light. You can join in the fun Monday to Thursday between the 9th and 19th August, from 9am until 11:30am. You will be able to either:

• Watch a film + popcorn and a drink, or take part in a bowling game with popcorn and a drink (these will be running on alternate days);
• There will be a craft activity each morning (Monday - Thursday) between the 9th - 19th August
• Single Child Ticket: £1.99 / Family Ticket £7.96 Prebooking is essential, and will be available from the week commencing 26 July.

To find out information on how to book please contact stephcarbutt@swale.gov.uk

Subsidised heritage & education tickets for:

• Raybel - Learn about the history of the local trading ship and take part in fun activities such as clay making (9 August), wood construction (16 August) and drawing and painted wood (23 August) for just £3.00 per person, or a Pizza Oven workshop at £4.00 per family from 30 July to 1 August. To book please visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/raybel-charters-cic-ltd-31079547521,
• Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway - Take a ride with your family and friends on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the summer holidays. Tickets are £10. To book call 01795 424899 or email bookings@sklr.net
• Bluetown – Throughout the summer they will be offering discounted family annual passes (£10) or single day visit (£2.50) tickets. To book please call 01795 662981.
• Medway & Swale Estuary Partnership - Based on Minster Leas Beach there will be two 1/2 day activities on the 30th July and 27th August from 10am to 12:30pm. These activities are free of charge and will include Rock Pooling / Bird Watching / Clay Art. To book please contact: info@msep.org.uk.

To benefit from any of the above activities a valid Reconnect Pass/free school meals letter must be presented. Failure to present these at your bookings will mean access is denied.