Ysgol Treffynnon and primary school, Ysgol Maes Y Felin, in Holywell have joined forces to enable a popular summer holiday scheme to take place this year, with a host of activities for Year 7 students and Year 6 pupils due to start at the high school in September.

This will be the third time that the schools have successfully run the SHEP (Summer Holidays Enrichment Programme) Food and Fun Summer Scheme, in partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association and Flintshire County Council. It provides a great opportunity for primary pupils to get to know Ysgol Treffynnon students and become familiar with the school, particularly as the usual transition days have not taken place due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The scheme will run for the first three weeks of the holidays and will provide a free breakfast, snack, and lunch each day.

As well as learning about healthy eating and taking part in fun cooking sessions, children will have the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of indoor and outdoor sport and physical activities.

Mindfulness workshops run by Emma Owen, wellbeing teacher at Ysgol Treffynnon, will also be available, as well as a range of enrichment activities provided by partner organisations.

The scheme will be coordinated by two members of school staff, Leah Wild and Liz Williams, and is supported by Newydd Catering and Cleaning, Flintshire Healthy Schools Teams, officers from Aura Leisure and Libraries, and Betsi Cadwalader University Health Board Dietetics team.

Miss Wild, lead coordinator, was involved with the SHEP scheme in 2019. She said: “The Food and Fun SHEP Programme is a great opportunity for year 6s to transition into their new high school.

“It has been such a hard year in education for the children due to Covid-19. They have not been able to mix with children outside of their classroom bubbles and therefore this will allow them to meet new and old friends as well as some high school staff.

“We have chosen to include the Year 7s as this has also been a tough first year for them, and they can share their thoughts and experiences to make transition as smooth as possible. A familiar, friendly face can also help the process. We are really looking forward to starting the programme!”

The scheme will start at 9am and finish at 1pm, from Monday to Thursday. Food boxes containing six healthy and delicious recipes, together with all the ingredients and handy recipe cards, will be given to every child at the end of each Thursday session to cook with their parents at home.

This year, due to restrictions, the SHEP scheme is only open to Ysgol Maes Y Felin and Ysgol Treffynnon students. Places are limited and are filling up quickly. Please email SHEP@yt.flintshire.sch.uk to check availability.