The Woodward Charitable Trust has provided funding for disadvantaged children and young people to attend summer play schemes during the long summer holidays. It has supported over 700 of these schemes since the early 2000s. Trustees prioritise smaller schemes which are cost-effective as they use local parks or community venues – and many former participants return to help as volunteers, meaning they can reach even more children.
Parallel Youth Enterprise’s Lambeth Summer Camps have been funded on multiple occasions since 2006. The scheme reaches hundreds of nine to 16-year-olds who attend schools in Southwark and Lambeth. It is run in conjunction with Lambeth Police, community organisations and volunteers, curating four weeks of activities including sport, music and dance. There are also workshops, focussed on developing skills in everything from technology to art.
Lambeth Summer Camps
“I get bored easily at school. Sometimes I get angry and shout at my teachers, but here I didn’t do that at all,” said one young male attendee. “The teachers are all really nice, and I know I can talk to them when someone’s annoying me.”
Some of the young people who participate in the Lambeth Summer Camps are vulnerable to gang activity, and part of the Camps’ aim is to provide a positive space where they can start conversations about this.
By supporting these local schemes, The Woodward Charitable Trust continues to help more children to get outside, meet other young people, experience a wide range of activities and have fun in the long holidays.
As the attendee of the Lambeth Summer Camps said, “I haven’t got into any trouble here, and that makes me feel good. I can’t wait to come back next year.”
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