AN INITIATIVE to provide children in Holywell with food and sports activities has been a great success, organisers have said.

Flintshire Council's play development officer Janet Roberts has teamed up with Steve Taylor of Kicks for Kids to run a breakfast club and football activities on the Holway Estate.

The club, which runs on a Saturday at Holway Community Centre, started up about 12 weeks ago and has become gradually more and more popular.

Janet Roberts told the Leader it has been provided with a play grant from the Welsh Government which lasts until Easter, after which time she will be working with the community to explore options for the scheme to continue.

She said: "We’re having great fun but it is a continuation of the work we started in the summer and we haven’t gone away.

"We're here on a Saturday morning - we’re all eating and then we’re all outside enjoying the fresh air.

"It is improving things for children on the Holway. We want children playing in their own community and they are well fed before they play out, but but all the mums are getting to have some time together and have a chat and a laugh.

"It's not rocket science, it is just about having a great time."

Kicks for Kids is an initiative which gives children a chance to play football. Its coordinator Steve Taylor said: "The breakfast club was something me and Janet had thinking for a while - we were trying to keep that engagement we had in the summer on the play scheme.

"The parents here really appreciated it."

Speaking of the new breakfast club, he said: "It has been a success. It gives the kids chance to come and have a kick about, their parents to get together.

"One of the stipulations is they have to have something to eat , which is giving them the main meal of the day.

"We have been doing it for 12 weeks now.

"We had a week's break while we looked for funding but we have the funding now

I think it’s a vital service that needs to be continued.

"For a community like the Holway that doesn’t get a lot, this is something permanent for them and something regular and I think it needs to carry on.

"Janet is fantastic at finding funding - without her nothing would happen."

The club runs from 9.30am to 11.30am on a Saturday.