Holiday activities and food (HAF)

The Holiday Activities and Food programme, known as HAF, offers free holiday activities and healthy food for eligible children and young people. The Department for Education (DfE) funds this programme.
Activities are available in:
spring: 4 sessions
summer: 16 sessions
winter: 4 sessions
HAF vouchers for the winter holiday period will be sent to eligible families by email or text on Monday 23 November 2026.
Vouchers will be sent from hello@holidayactivities.com.
You will need the code on the voucher to book activities via the Holiday Activities Website or app.
If you have not received a voucher by Monday 23 November 2026 and you think you should have, contact your child's school.
Changes to free school meals mean some children may no longer qualify for HAF from Autumn 2026.
If your child received and used a HAF voucher in Spring or Summer 2026 because they were eligible for benefits-related free school meals, they can still take part in the Winter 2026 HAF programme.
If your child is eligible, you will receive a HAF voucher on 23 November 2026 to book winter holiday activities.
From Spring 2027, HAF vouchers will only be issued automatically to children who receive targeted free school meals.
For information about free school meals and eligibility, visit the free school meals page.
The HAF programme is for school-aged children (Reception to Year 11) who receive targeted free school meals.
Visit the free school meals page to see the criteria for targeted free school meals.
Some children who do not receive targeted free school meals may still be eligible for a funded place if they need extra support. A professional who works with your family, such as a teacher, social worker or support worker, can make a referral.
This may include children who:
have an early help plan
have a child and family plan
are young carers
are looked after or subject to a special guardianship order
are experiencing difficult family circumstances
If you think your child may be eligible for HAF funding in these circumstances either:
speak to your child's school
or ask a professional supporting you to email cfw-haf@lancashire.gov.uk to complete a referral
You will need a voucher code to register and book a place.
Follow the link on the voucher to see a list of the clubs and activities in your district.
If you have a voucher code, you can also access the holiday activities link to book a place.
Many clubs book up very quickly so please:
only book a HAF place if you are going to use it
cancel if you change your mind
If a place is booked and then not used it prevents another child from attending.
Activities outside of your school district
You can only use the voucher to book activities in the district where your child goes to school.
For example, if your child goes to school in Lytham, you will get a Fylde voucher, and the booking platform will display all the HAF clubs in Fylde.
If your child needs to attend a club in another district, you can request a new voucher for that district.
You must request the new voucher before you book any places. If you request a new voucher, you will not be able to book clubs in the district your original voucher was for.
To request a to change a voucher district email cfw-haf@lancashire.gov.uk.
Parents, carers, and professionals can email cfw-haf@lancashire.gov.uk for support and a member of the team will contact you.
This includes help with:
checking HAF eligibility (when your school cannot help)
changing your voucher district
moving to another local authority
requesting a voucher under the 15% professional criteria
general questions about the HAF programme or eligibility
using the booking system or vouchers
Sadly, as our funding is limited, we cannot offer places to all children with SEND or education, health and care (EHC) plans.
If you request a place for your child, we will need to consider other vulnerabilities.
Helping HAF clubs to meet your child's needs
If your child has an EHC plan, SEND or any specific needs, you'll be asked some questions when you register. Your answers will help clubs understand your child's specific needs. Please answer these honestly.
By giving the club as much information as you can, you will help them to:
make any necessary adjustments beforehand
help their staff understand how to make your child feel welcome and comfortable
ensure your child's needs are met
Our youth workers run HAF activities across Lancashire for young people in school years 7 to 11. These include sports, arts, games and more.
They're a place to:
make friends
try new things
enjoy a healthy meal
learn new skills
build confidence
Friendly youth workers listen to young people and make sure everyone feels welcome.
To find out more about TYS HAF activities:
speak to your school
contact Talkzone
contact your nearest Family Hub
You can find out what's on in each district using the links below.
Contact us
If you have any questions about HAF email: cfw-haf@lancashire.gov.uk.
We value your feedback
If your child has attended one of the HAF sessions, please help us improve our service and complete our feedback form.
Annual report
Our HAF annual report explains how we delivered the HAF programme across Lancashire in 2025. It includes:
how many children have taken part
feedback from children, young people and families
examples of local delivery across Lancashire
information about how funding was used
