More than 9000 children and young people took part in the ‘Summer of Play’ programme, which provided a wide array of events to ensure kids aged five to 14 could socialise, play, and reconnect with their communities during the school break.
This was made possible thanks to £329,037 in funding from the Scottish Government, which Dumfries and Galloway Council topped up by £264,000.
As well as fun arts, crafts and sporting activities, there were also 131 summer roadshows delivered across 78 remote and rural communities in Dumfries and Galloway.
The most vulnerable kids from deprived backgrounds also benefitted greatly, according to the council social work’s children and families section.
“The impact the Summer of Play funding has had on children, families, communities and staff has been immense, with over 700 children and young people participating including their siblings and wider family network,” a council evaluation report states.
“The benefit of having access to this fund on our children and young people and allowing them to do things that matter to them, and they would normally not have the opportunity to do and more importantly to have fun.”
The evaluation report will be tabled at the council’s communities committee next week, and it reveals the positive feedback from groups that participated.
The summer programme sought to specifically target those children and young people that are our most vulnerable, including lone parent families, those which include a disabled adult or child, larger and minority ethnic families.
