Favourite Moments from OUR Spring Holiday SPORTS Camp
This April, DFY held our first ever Spring Holiday Camp. 9 days at Salusbury Primary School engaging with over 90 children in a variety of 5h of sports including dance, gymnastics, cricket, basketball, badminton, rounders, football, and tennis. DFY also provided free healthy meals and snacks each day to every child.
For kids, half-term holidays begin with excitement but can sink into boredom, and end up blinded by the blue light of screens. For parents and guardians, it can be a battleground of work and childcare responsibilities - expensive, difficult, and boring.
Of the back of a successful summer holiday sports camp in 2021, DFY launched this camp to change all this. Our aim was to create a holiday break filled with sports and fun in a safe environment that was accessible for every family. We are so proud to say we were successful in that aim.
First came accessibility. Thanks to our collaboration with Brent Council’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, 95% of the children participated completely for free. That is 95% that otherwise would not have been able to afford the camp. This ensured income was never a barrier to all the wonderful things DFY could offer.
Second came the save environment. Thanks to Salusbury Primary School, we were able to provide a safe and playful environment without spending a fortune. that helped to offer our holiday camp to even more children.
Third came the fun. Across the term break our brilliant coaches facilitated sessions full of spontaneity and joy – broadening smiles and horizons with a powerful combination of physical and emotional support.
To dive into a few moments at the Spring holiday sports camp… We asked our coaches what their favourite moments were from the Spring Holiday Sports Camp to give you a first-hand account of everything that went on.
‘The camp as a whole was amazing to be a part of’ said coach Allan, ‘I remember one morning where, during the arrival activity, the children asked the coaches to join in. What began as a friendly game spiralled into a dance battle between coaches Victor and Ashleigh! In the end, the children's vote turned out to be a tie and everyone was cheering. Was a great way to start the day!’ This exemplifies the freedom and equality that every DFY session is built upon.
Coach Veronika also loved working with the children to create a space that was equal and expressive: ‘it was great to see the kids engaged and playful, freestyling together or on their own, all part of one team and having fun. I enjoyed seeing their creativity and joy from movement.’
Beyond the happiness of playful energy and teamwork, our coaches also responded to the positive emotional change they saw in their students. ‘My favourite thing was seeing the transition in behaviour’ coach Ali told us, ‘seeing how engaged and how much fun they had after all the coaches facilitated that transition is the greatest joy.’
Coach Ashleigh was similarly moved by the impact the camp made on her students and fellow coaches. ‘DFY Spring Holiday Camp was very special to me’ she commented, ‘bonding with the coaches and children were moments I’ll treasure forever. I loved the upbeat energy and the amount of smiles I saw through my time coaching at the camp.’
Everyone at DFY was so honoured to see the Spring Holiday Sports Camp bloom from an idea into a wonderful reality. We are eager to expand upon this success, and continue to provide communities with accessible and meaningful sport coaching – fuelling positive memories that will last a lifetime.
We could not have done it without the help from our partners. Thank you to Salusbury Primary School and Brent Council who once again gave us access to their excellent facilities and provided invaluable support. We also have incredible sponsors in Brinkworth Dairy, Chegworth Valley and Soreen who provided every child with a healthy meal and snacks for all 9 days of the camp.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the Spring Holiday Camp happen – we cannot wait to do it all over again soon!