Summer of Fun complete
Renfrewshire Council · 13 November 2024
Back to Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee — 13 November 2024 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 13 November 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Summer of Fun Evaluation 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 As part of the Council’s budget which was approved in February 2024, £100,000 was allocated through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. 1.2 It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023.The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. 1.3 This report provides an overview of the evaluation report that has been produced on the 2024 Summer of Fun programme, with key findings summarised in Section 4. Appendix 1 provides information on all projects funded through the community grants programme, and the full evaluation report is attached at Appendix 2. 1.4 Findings from the evaluation will be considered as part of the development of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme for 2025/26. ___________________________________________________________________
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2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee note the report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In February 2024, £100,000 was allocated through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. 3.2 It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023.The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. 3.3 The Community Programme is a small grants programme for local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low-income families. The fund was very quickly oversubscribed and at the start of June 2024, a further £10,000 was allocated to support the programme. 3.4 In line with the programme developed in 2023, Summer of Fun 2024 targeted access to activities, childcare and food during the summer holiday period for school age children from low-income families. It was agreed that the programme should operate based on a set of key principles including: • There should be a range of activities for children and families – a mixture of child only, family activities, free/chargeable and across several different communities in Renfrewshire • The Council will work with partners to promote the variety of activities that are available – making sure that families know what is on and where • The core focus of the funding will be to provide activities which support families from the child poverty priority groups and to target gaps in provision across localities • Any activities funded through Fairer Renfrewshire should be free at the point of access with free food or snacks available depending on the length of the activity.
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3.5 The full programme included third sector activities funded through small grants, Community Learning and Development summer camps, ASN provision based at Mary Russell and Riverbrae schools, family learning activities funded through the Multiply programme and a Libraries programme of activities, including the Skoobmobile which attended areas where no other activities were taking place as well as supporting some of the CLD summer camps. 4. Overview – Summer of Fun Evaluation 4.1 The Community Programme is a small grants programme for local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low-income families. 4.2 The £50,000 allocated to the small grants programme was very quickly oversubscribed, and a further £10,000 was allocated, bringing the spend to £110,000, with a further £1,800 allocated to OneRen Libraries to provide activities in villages where no other funded activities were taking place, as well as drinks and snacks for families within all libraries. 4.3 In addition to the Fairer Renfrewshire funded activities, summer ASN provision was provided across two sites, Mary Russell School and Riverbrae School. The provision at Mary Russell, a new Playtime service was provided through Klas care, who were funded to provide this programme as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). The camp at Riverbrae continued to identify and respond to the need for provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs. 4.4 Street Stuff continued to deliver their core programme of activities in the evenings from Monday to Saturday for young people aged 8 to 16 throughout the summer holidays which also included the provision of healthy food funded from Fairer Renfrewshire. 2,221 attendances were recorded with activities including multi- sports and the games buses with ps4 games, DJ decks and having the ability to mix with friends and listen to music and play fun and interactive games. 4.5 The Adult and Family Learning team supported 54 families in Renfrewshire to enjoy a fun-filled summer regardless of the weather through Multiply, the government-
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funded programme to help people be more confident with numbers. Multiply funding covered the cost of lunches and some staffing costs. 4.6 29 organisations applied for a grant through the small grants programme, with 21 being funded to a total of £60,000. Activities were varied and included toddler play session, day trips, arts and crafts activities, sports and music workshops, and covered all ages. It is estimated that at least 1,939 children and 577 adults benefited from this programme. 4.7 There were 2,776 recorded attendances at the Community Learning and Development Summer camps. Participants were asked their views on the Summer of Fun camps with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 saying they enjoyed it. Evaluation shows that families within the Child Poverty Priority Groups benefited from the summer camps. 44.4% of families with children attending were lone parent families, 36.3% were large families and 22.2% families where someone within the household had a disability. 4.8 Renfrewshire Libraries ran their own summer programme using some of the equipment and games that had been previously funded by Fairer Renfrewshire as well as their own resources. Over the summer holidays they delivered 249 events for children and families in their libraries. This allowed a coverage of activities in areas where no Summer of Fun activity was proposed. A total of 1,353 adults and 2,948 children attended these events, including 1,535 children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge. 4.9 Evaluation has shown that the programme overall was successful in reaching low- income families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups who may be underserved by mainstream holiday programmes. The wide range of activities on offer ensured that children were able to try new experiences and visit new places. The key findings of the evaluation are: • Access to free, inclusive, and enjoyable activities alongside provision of a healthy snack or lunch contributed to a successful Summer of Fun programme. The wide range of activities on offer ensured that children were able to try new experiences and visit new places. • The Summer of Fun programme provided children with the opportunity to learn new skills, make friends, be creative, gain confidence and make memories with their families.
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• The programme was able to reach low-income families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups who may be underserved by mainstream holiday programmes. • Benefits of the Summer of Fun programme included providing free fun activities that low-income families could access, encouraging new people to engage with organisations and helping to reduce financial costs for families. • The free holiday camp places were helpful in supporting working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents. They provided a safe environment for children to socialise and enjoy activities over the holidays, giving parents peace of mind and making the transition back to school easier. • Analysis indicates that some parents and carers that do a block booking for holiday camps unfortunately do not attend or cancel their spaces if unable to attend. This resulted in a significant number of unused spaces, and it is recommended that processes are developed in any future provision to maximise the use of spaces. • Partnership work enabled organisations to broaden their offer of activities and bring in community safety partners to deliver informative sessions to keep young people safe. 4.10 Recommendations within the evaluation include: • Consideration be given to providing additional and targeted funding to increase the capacity of organisations to deliver a wider range of activities for a longer period. • Due to numbers of families who do not utilise or cancel booked camp spaces, examination of the booking and reminder system should take place to maximise the number of families gaining the benefits of the camps. • Exploring partnerships with local businesses or community organisations could provide opportunities for discounted or free entry to attractions, maximising the use of the small grant funding. 4.11 A copy of the full evaluation report is attached at Appendix 2. 4.12 Findings from the evaluation will be considered as part of the development of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme for 2025/26. ___________________________________________________________________
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Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The costs to deliver the Summer of Fun programme was funded by Fairer Renfrewshire, OneRen and Scottish Government through the Whole family Wellbeing fund. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none. 3. Community/Council Planning – The multi-agency, universal and targeted work developed and delivered across Renfrewshire throughout the summer holidays as part of the National summer holiday and activities initiative contributed to key areas of activity relevant to Community Planning priorities and Renfrewshire’s Council Plan strategic outcomes; outlined below. • Our Renfrewshire is well - Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities. • Our Renfrewshire is fair - addressing the inequalities that limit life chances. • Reshaping our place, our economy, and our future - Promoting learning and skills for life. • Building strong, safe, and resilient communities - Empowering communities and Delivering community-based services. • Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all – Promoting skills and learning for life, Celebrating youth! Improving mental health and wellbeing; Addressing health inequalities; and promoting active lifestyles. 4. Legal – none. 5. Property/Assets - none. 6. Information Technology - none. 7. Equality & Human Rights – The evaluation of the Summer of Fun programme considers the impact of the programme on a range of equalities groups where we know there are distinct needs or disparate outcomes, for example children with additional support needs, or children from child poverty priority groups such as children where a member of the household is disabled or ethnic minority families. 8. Health & Safety - none. 9. Procurement – none. 10. Risk - none. 11. Privacy Impact - none.
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12. Climate Risk – not applicable. 13. Children’s rights – The Summer of Fun 2024 is considered to have a positive role is upholding children’s rights. In particular, the programme supports the right to rest relax and play. The inclusion of free healthy food throughout the programme also supports the right to a proper home, food and clothing. The evaluation also demonstrates the involvement of children and young people in the design and delivery of programmes over the summer period. 14. COSLA Policy Position –not applicable. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Diane Dunn, Fairer Renfrewshire Lead Officer
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Appendix 1: Summer of Fun 2024 – list of funded projects Organisation Area Purpose Funding awarded Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities (REEM) Paisley Summer Project £1,200 Outspoken Arts Paisley Big Art Show Summer Camp £3,450 Thorn Athletic Community Trust Johnstone Summer Football Fun £3,500 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley Active Summer: Cheerleading and More! £3,500 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Paisley P1-P7 Youth Club £3,000 The New Tannahill Centre Paisley Ferguslie Summer of Fun (pilot) £3,500 Brick Lane Music Academy Paisley Kids and Families Summer Workshops £3,480 Erskine Arts Erskine An Erskine Arts Summer £3,440 Friends of Knockhill Park Renfrew Let’s Get Outdoors 2024 £3,060 Sewing2gether All Nations: Caring, Creating, Connecting Paisley Summer of Fun @ All Nations £3,010 Just Dive In Paisley Marine Marvels Summer Programme £3,500 KLAS Care CIC Linwood Schools Out for Summer 24 £2,975 Paisley North Community Council Paisley Shortroods shorts and shades beach party £1,000 STAR Project Paisley STAR Summer Programme £1,951 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone Johnstone Castle Chaos Club £2,152 Renfrewshire Women’s Aid Paisley Safe Journeys £1,600 CREATE Paisley Linwood, Johnstone and Paisley Go CREATE £2,755 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew Summer Activity Programme £3,500 Paisley YMCA Paisley Paisley YMCA £3,500 Scottish Afro Caribbean Arts Association (SACAA) Paisley Active Summer £2,427 School of African Cultures Paisley "To Sakana Camp" £3,500
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1 An evaluation of the Summer of Fun Programme 2024 “Me and the kids really loved Blair Drummond. We could never have afforded it so to get to go for free, get lunch and everything, it was just magic. It felt like our summer holiday and the kids keep talking about going again.”
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 2 Contents 1. Executive Summary ...................................................................................... 3 2. About Summer of Fun .................................................................................. 6 a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps ........................................................ 6 b. Summer of Fun Community Programme.................................................... 7 c. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision............................................... 11 d. Street Stuff ...................................................................................................... 12 e. Adult and Family Learning ........................................................................... 12 f. The Promise Champs Summer Programme ............................................. 13 g. One Ren Libraries .......................................................................................... 15 h. Skoobmobile .................................................................................................. 16 3. Evaluating the Summer of Fun programme .......................................... 17 a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps ...................................................... 17 b. Summer of Fun Community Programme.................................................. 20 c. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision............................................... 35 d. Adult and Family Learning ........................................................................... 36 4. Conclusions .................................................................................................. 37 5. Appendix – Organisations which received Summer of Fun small grants 39
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 3 1. Executive Summary In February 2024, £100,000 was allocated through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023.The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. The Community Programme is a small grants programme for local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low-income families. The fund was very quickly oversubscribed and at the start of June 2024, a further £10,000 was allocated to support the programme. Renfrewshire’s Community Learning and Development team developed a programme of activities for children and young people through a summer camp model in partnership with Streetstuff, and with the provision of a healthy meal. Work was undertaken to prioritise access to camp bookings to families with low incomes, especially in the child poverty priority groups and through referrals from Childrens Services before opening up access more widely. In addition to summer camps, additional funding from a number of different sources was used to deliver a varied programme of activities for children, families, and young people, along with youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, sports activities and an Adult and Family Learning programme. Summer Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision was across two sites, Mary Russell School and Riverbrae School. The provision at Mary Russell, a new Playtime service, was provided through Klas care, who were funded to provide this programme as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). One Ren delivered a summer programme in the libraries and with the Skoobmobile team. Funding through Fairer Renfrewshire was provided to OneRen to provide activities in libraries in particular areas where there were no other activities and to provide drinks and snacks for young people and families across all Renfrewshire libraries.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 4 This report describes the multi-agency, universal and targeted work delivered across Renfrewshire throughout the summer holidays as part of the 2024 Summer Holiday Provision initiative. Key findings • Access to free, inclusive and enjoyable activities alongside provision of a healthy snack or lunch contributed to a successful Summer of Fun programme. The wide range of activities on offer ensured that children were able to try new experiences and visit new places. • The Summer of Fun programme provided children with the opportunity to learn new skills, make friends, be creative, gain confidence and make memories with their families. • The programme was able to reach low-income families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups who may be underserved by mainstream holiday programmes. • Benefits of the Summer of Fun programme included providing free fun activities that low- income families could access, encouraging new people to engage with organisations and helping to reduce financial costs for families. • Partnership work enabled organisations to broaden their offer of activities and bring in community safety partners to deliver informative sessions to keep young people safe. • The free holiday camp places were helpful in supporting working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents. They provided a safe environment for children to socialise and enjoy activities over the holidays, giving parents peace of mind and making the transition back to school easier. • Despite camps being oversubscribed, there were a significant number of unused spaces where children and young people it is recommended that processes are developed in any future provision to maximise the use of spaces. • Adult & Family Learning Services sessions delivered with Multiply funding offered families lots of practical ways to encourage children to recognise how maths helps us in everyday life. • Library activities provided by One Ren were popular and booked up quickly and the provision of healthy snacks and drinks was appreciated by families. These activities were particularly important in areas where no other activities were being delivered.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 5 • Additional Support Needs provision at Mary Russell and Riverbrae schools continued to identify and respond to the need for provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs through free engaging activities, healthy snacks and free transport for some sessions. • Recommendations suggest that consideration be given to providing additional funding to increase the capacity of organisations to deliver a wider range of activities for a longer period.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 6 2. About Summer of Fun In February 2024, £100,000 was allocated through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023.The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. The Community Programme is a small grants programme for local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low-income families. The fund was very quickly oversubscribed and at the start of June 2024, a further £10,000 was allocated to support the programme. Renfrewshire’s Community Learning and Development team developed a programme of activities for children and young people through a summer camp model in partnership with Streetstuff, and with the provision of a healthy meal. Work was undertaken to prioritise access to camp bookings to families with low incomes, especially in the child poverty priority groups and through referrals from Childrens Services before opening up access more widely. a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps Following on from last year’s successful programme, Renfrewshire’s Community Learning and Development team delivered a summer camp for children and young people. The holiday camps were held in 6 venues across Renfrewshire with a focus on reaching families most in need of the free provision. There were 2,776 attendances at the holiday camps. A programme was developed offering several core activities targeted to young people aged 5 to 14 years from low-income families, in addition to separately funded youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, sports activities and youth bus delivered by Street Stuff and an Adult and Family Learning programme that families could attend together. The approach built on the successes from previous summer programmes and the partnership working between services. The summer provision also ensured a varied programme catering for families, children, and young people across the whole of Renfrewshire.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 7 Information about the camps and details of how to book were sent directly to families who were receiving free school meals and clothing grants and, although we know this information was shared between families, the targeting of the information allowed us to reach low income families in the first instance. Care was also taken to work closely with services such as Children’s Services, Social Work, Education and other partners to identify families and young people that would particularly benefit from organised summer activities and to signpost them towards and sign them up for universal activities. The aim was to develop a programme of integrated provision to address the barriers and isolation faced by people in the most deprived areas, but at the same time open to families across Renfrewshire, concentrating on the Scottish Government’s child poverty priority groups. Camps for ages 5 to 14 years were delivered throughout the summer holidays from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm, twice per week in each of the following venues: • Renfrew – St James’ Primary School • Gallowhill – St Catherine’s Primary School • Ferguslie Park – Glencoats Primary School • Linwood – Linwood High School • Foxbar – Gleniffer High School • Johnstone – West Johnstone Shared Campus This summer a range of activities were delivered which included multi-sports, dance and outdoor play along with healthy food. Children and young people were also consulted about the development of the Local Development Plans and the Fire and Rescue service also delivered workshops on water safety. b. Summer of Fun Community Programme Utilising the final budget of £60,000, local community and voluntary organisations could apply for small grants of up to £3,500 to cover costs of activities, including venues, materials, food, transport and sessional staff. Smaller awards of up to £500 were also available for organisations with existing activities over the summer to provide healthy snacks or food. Applications were considered for single events or programmes of activities, designed for whole families or for children and young people of a range of ages. All projects agreed to the following principles • Activities must be free, with no hidden or additional costs
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 8 • Healthy snacks should be provided, or lunch if full day activities • Activities should be inclusive, welcoming, respectful and safe • Compliant with requirements around safeguarding, child protection and food hygiene as appropriate • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports In order to ensure that this funding was distributed as quickly as possible, authority was delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with the guidance, with information on awards to be provided to the Leadership Board in consultation with the Council Leader. In total 29 organisations applied for funding. Applications were assessed by a panel consisting of officers from Renfrewshire Council, including from Community Learning and Development, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, and Engage Renfrewshire, with the panel meeting regularly between the end of May and the end of June. The panel members were able to evaluate the Summer of Fun applications based on knowledge of other available support across localities. Overall 21 projects were funded through Summer of Fun, to a total of £60,000. As the fund was oversubscribed, it was not possible to approve all applications received. Unsuccessful applicants were signposted to other support or information about sources of funding via Engage Renfrewshire. Organisisations were also linked with the Multiply Coordinator to establish whether this funding could be offered, depending on the activities taking place, with Sewing2GetherAllNations being awarded funding from this source. A list of the organisations that delivered Summer of Fun small grants activities can be found in Appendix 2. A wide range of activities for children and young people of all ages were provided through the funding, along with healthy snacks/ lunches and drinks. Activities that were offered included: • Toddler play sessions • Summer playschemes offering free childcare • Traditional games and outdoor activities in local parks • Day trips to local visitor attractions • Arts and crafts and creative activities, such as printing, tie dye, clay modelling, sewing, outdoor photography • Sports activities such as circus skills, football, rollerskating, scuba diving, cheerleading, swimming and dance workshops
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 9 • Educational activities like basic cooking skills, music technology, baking, English language learning, marine conservation and leadership skills and STEM(Science Technology Engineering Art & Maths) • Music workshops Day trips proved to be very popular, with young people heading off for the day to Blair Drummond Safari Park, the Riverside Museum of Transport, the Sealife centre at Loch Lomond, Monty’s Farm Park, Dean Castle & Country Park and the outdoor centre at Lapwing Lodge. Many of the organisations, like the Tannahill Centre, worked with partners to offer as wide a range of activities as possible. Activities from our youth workers included art activities such as sun printing, tie dye, clay modelling and hapazome Japanese art and scavenger hunt. We also ran a drama workshop, a talent show and organised a trip to the transport museum. Some of the activities ran by our partnerships included V.R by YMCA, dancing by Right to Dance and samba drumming by Pachedu. We also offered a day at Paisley Community Circus where young people learned circus skills. We provided a variety of healthy food at every session with the highlight being a make your own pizza day with our NHS qualified community chef. The STAR Project held an end-of-summer celebration event for everyone who attended their summer programme. This provided the opportunity for families to come together again and share stories from their summer, embedding memories and further strengthening connections. The event included fun holiday-themed activities and games, a summer fun slideshow and food.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 10 Paisley YMCA delivered an exciting programme of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths) activities over 5 weeks. Young people also had the opportunity to have their voices heard in a session with the Scottish Youth Parliament about Children’s Rights and a session with Let’s Be Heard where they could talk about their experiences of the pandemic as part of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. Renfrew YMCA ran additional support needs sessions once a week which were quieter sessions that enabled young people to benefit from one to one support around a different theme every week. As well as offering gardening workshops and traditional games, The School of African Cultures took young people sightseeing in Paisley to learn about the history of its buildings. CREATE Paisley provided drop-in sessions across Linwood, Johnstone and Paisley for young people aged 12-18 with visual arts workshops, outdoor photography sessions, and arts and crafts activities to support wellbeing and mental health. They also collaborated with Right2Dance to provide dance sessions and supported the Youth Forum to organise their own event. The young people were given a budget at the initial session and were given the freedom to produce an event of their choosing. As a group (now self-named ‘The Magnificent Blue’), they decided to hold an Arts and Crafts Fundraiser to raise money for a trip to a Sea Life Centre for themselves and their peers, to “allow local young people a chance to get out of the house and experience things away from Renfrewshire that they might not have experienced before.” (young attendee). This was a huge success and they ended up raising £157 for their trip. The group of young people were from all over Renfrewshire, and many had never met before but have established very strong bonds through this rewarding process. CREATE Paisley School of African Cultures participant playing in the park
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 11 c. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision Summer ASN provision was across two sites, Mary Russell School and Riverbrae School. The provision at Mary Russell, a new Playtime service was provided through Klas care, who were funded to provide this programme as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). Although families were allocated with 3 free spaces across the 5 weeks, additional sessions could be purchased. The provision responded to the identified needs of children and young people with an additional support need. 16 spaces were available each day Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm, with WFWF also funding the hall lets. For those using free spaces, transport costs were provided. Fun engaging activities and free play time was delivered throughout the summer holiday period which included: • Free transport for parents within Renfrewshire for booked free sessions • A nutritious meal and healthy snacks throughout the day • Indoor and outdoor activities – including sports and creative arts • Much needed social interaction with other young people • Staff who could respond to each individual child’s needs The offer of a blended approach between free and paid for was found to be popular because families liked the flexibility of booking individual sessions when it suited them. However, paid sessions did not offer transport, so this excluded some families who had no access to transport. The money collected from paid spaces was put back into services by hiring bouncy castles, visits from exotic animals and a day of sport coaches, along with extra resources to meet the needs of the children. 309 bookings were allocated over the 5-week period, a mix of free and paid. Children’s suggestions on activities were gathered and each day planning was adjusted to suit the needs of the children attending. Each week was a different theme including bubble, dance, bouncy, physical play and using games, arts, and crafts. Alongside activities children were given breakfast, snacks and lunch. The camp at Riverbrae continued to identify and respond to the need for provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs. 193 families took up the offer of support during Summer 2024, and fun engaging activities and free play time was delivered throughout the summer holiday period which included: • A nutritious meal and healthy snacks throughout the day
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 12 • Indoor and outdoor activities – including sports, creative arts and sensory experiences. • Much needed social interaction with other children/young people • Staff who could respond to each individual child’s needs (this included training opportunities to better support our most complex children/young people) • Free transport for parents within Renfrewshire where required due to the location of the venue and to maximise opportunities and support for families during the summer holiday period. d. Street Stuff Street Stuff continued to deliver their core programme of activities in the evenings from Monday to Saturday for young people aged 8 to 16 throughout the summer holidays which also included the provision of healthy food. 2,221 attendances were recorded with activities including multi-sports and the games buses with ps4 games, DJ decks and having the ability to mix with friends and listen to music and play fun and interactive games. The Street Stuff activities were delivered at the following places: • Linwood – Our Lady of Peace • Foxbar – Morar Drive and Foxbar Youth Drop in • Erskine - Bargarran Primary School • Johnstone – McMaster Centre • Shortroods – Beechwood Community Centre MUGA • Gallowhill Community Centre • Glenburn – Skye Crescent e. Adult and Family Learning The Adult and Family Learning team supported 54 families in Renfrewshire to enjoy a fun- filled summer regardless of the weather thanks to Multiply, the government-funded programme to help people be more confident with numbers. Multiply funding covered the cost of lunches and some staffing costs. Six, weekly sessions in Paisley, Johnstone, Renfrew and Erskine ran throughout July and offered parents lots of practical ways to work with their children and gain skills around maths to support them in everyday life. From baking cakes in Bargarran and Southend Action Centre to building volcanoes in Glenburn, there were hands-on activities involving weighing, measuring, counting and telling the time, all using numeracy skills.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 13 The sessions also included everyone preparing and sharing lunch together, music, stories and rhymes and outdoor activities weather permitting. The Glasgow Science Centre hosted a day out for 10 families that included free entry, lunch, and travel to and from the centre. The families from Ferguslie and Johnstone were made very welcome and thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the exhibits and activities. The Multiply programme also provided practical numeracy activities for some of Renfrewshire’s New Scots from Sewing2gether All Nations at the Mossy Café and from ESOL groups at Southend Action Centre. Learners were able to practice their English by taking part in a variety of fun tasks and games that helped build their maths vocabulary and boost their confidence in using English. f. The Promise Champs Summer Programme The Youth Services Promise Champs summer programme was co-designed with young people with care experience, young carers, and young people on the edges of care to tackle feelings of social isolation, holiday hunger and to promote positive wellbeing during the summer holiday period. Young people requested themed youth club sessions and summer trips themed to their interests as teenagers. Utilising Future Paisley funding, Youth Services were able to deliver an impactful summer programme that aimed to ensure that young people had a fun and happy summer, were provided with opportunities to making positive lasting memories and meet new friends. The summer programme was shared across the Promise Keepers network, Social Work teams, Renfrewshire High Schools, and Renfrewshire Youth Work network to the leads of youth work organisations that support young people with care experience and young carers ages 11-17 years of age. The programme delivered 8 weekly themed youth club sessions which were attended by 29 young people, 5 summer trips attended by 59 young people and a Sunshine Vibez event for youth and community at Gallowhill Community Centre which was attended by 24 young people.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 14 Summer trips included visits to Youth Beatz festival in Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow Science Centre and planetarium, InflataNation and Foxbar Drop-In centre for pizza lunch and games, Ayr beach with outdoor games and Blair Drummond Safari Park. Packed lunches were provided for all the trips. The Promise Champ participants enjoyed the trip to Youth Beatz which gave them an opportunity to experience a musical festival. At the festival they attended the Toon performance which was an interactive theatre which focused on youth issues. This was a good way for the young people have their say and learn facts on the issues that affect them. The Summer trips were a great way to bring the Promise Champs participants from different communities together. These trips provided opportunities for fun, learning and socialising with one another with the support of Youth Services staff to break down any barriers to participation. Youth Services Community Learning Officers helped support and facilitate these trips and transport the young people. In addition, Youth Club Summer sessions were held in Paisley Methodist Church from 1 - 3pm on Fridays throughout July and August and were open to young people aged 11-17 years of age. The themed sessions were full of fun activities that could be delivered on a larger scale, as an enhanced version of their usual weekly youth club sessions. Young people enjoyed laser tag, neon rave party, summer fun fayre, the Big Art Attack and active team games. Participants were encouraged to bring along friends and siblings. For one of the themed sessions, local artist Seamus Killick was commissioned to deliver a giant art attack workshop at the Promise Champs request. The young people really enjoyed this workshop creating their favourite buildings of paisley and would like to continue to develop this project in future as part of a wider youth arts project. Promise Champs participants were encouraged to provide feedback on their summer programme. The young people rated the trips with star ratings
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 15 and were provided with the opportunity to comment on any trips and events they participated in. They also gave ideas to help develop future Promise Champs youth clubs, develop a Promise Champs youth voice forum and plan to programme future trips and experiences. "I had a good summer and being on the trips I was able to make more pals." "I gained more confidence this summer...it got me out of the house, and I got to meet up with my friends." g. One Ren Libraries In addition to the small grant funded programme, Renfrewshire Libraries ran their own summer programme using some of the equipment and games that had been previously funded by Fairer Renfrewshire as well as their own resources. Over the summer holidays they delivered 249 events for children and families in their libraries. This allowed a coverage of activities in areas where no Summer of Fun activity was proposed. A total of 1,353 adults and 2,948 children attended these events, including 1,535 children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge was launched with award winning children's author Lindsay Littleson at Paisley Central Library. She read from her new book "Ice Cream Boy" and children created their own ice cream flavours. Library staff were really creative in coming up with great ideas for fun free activities for families over the summer including making puppets, jewellery boxes, super-hero pencil holders, printing 3D bookmarks and keyrings, creating outsider art. There were free sessions from the Dog Trust which were popular and Animal Man Mini Zoo sessions, funded through Fairer Renfrewshire to ensure some activities in villages, in Bridge of Weir, Bishopton and Lochwinnoch libraries which were quickly booked up. Children really enjoyed this entertaining and educational activity. Staff commented that “the whole event was excellent. Kevin presenting was very engaging with the children. He was enthusiastic encouraging and joked with them. The children loved touching the animals, learning about them, and all the children got a chance to participate.” The sessions worked well because groups were quite small meaning that all the children got a chance to hold the animals and ask lots of questions. At Lochwinnoch Library children enjoyed learning how to play old-school Scottish games like ‘Peever’ and ‘Beds’ as part of a Make-Your-Own Traditional Playground Games Summer Reading Challenge activity.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 16 At Ferguslie Park Library 18 children attended The Bletchley Riddle activity, a virtual event which took place in the Activity Room using the large screen. The children enjoyed coming up with questions to ask the author of The Bletchley Riddle, Ruta Sepetys and global bestselling author Steve Sheinkin. Erskine Library held Marvellous Treasure Chests and Jewellery Boxes as part of their Summer Reading Challenge Activity. Children used paint sticks to create treasure chests and jewellery boxes. One parent commented “the summer activities at Erskine have been amazing and a lifesaver. Very well organised.” At Renfrew Library children participated in Pendulum Outside Art as part of the Summer Reading Challenge Activity. This craft session involved creating pendulums outside but due to bad weather it was only possible to deliver one of the two sessions. OneRen was also allocated £1,800 to provide healthy snacks and drinks such as popcorn, cereal bars, juice and hot chocolate in all 12 Renfrewshire libraries throughout the summer, which were really appreciated by families. h. Skoobmobile In addition to activities in libraries, the Skoobmobile provided access to library services to families as well as fun activities for all. This was particularly important in areas where there was no other local provision, either through Camps or the grant funded programme. The mobile service was at the following locations: • Houston Scout Hut South Street • Gallowhill Community Centre • Marshes playing fields, Paisley • Barshaw Park • Howwood, Midton Road • Gockston Road, Paisley Skoobmobile also visited the Additional Support Needs (ASN) summer camps, working between Riverbrae and Mary Russell on Monday mornings and at ON-X for sports camps on Friday mornings:
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 17 3. Evaluating the Summer of Fun programme Different parts of the programme were evaluated in different ways, but we have included information on numbers attending and comments from staff, parents, carers and children, we have included these below. a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps Over the summer period there were 2776 recorded attendances at the Summer camps. Participants were asked to provide their views on the Summer of Fun camps by giving the camps a rate out of 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Participants stated that they enjoyed the camps and the total rating for the camps was 4.7 out of 5. Evaluation has shown that the free holiday camp places were helpful to families for a number of reasons. The availability of free spaces supported working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents. The camps provided a safe environment for children to socialise and enjoy activities over the holidays, giving parents peace of mind and making the transition back to school easier. The range of activities available meant that children were able to try something new and the positive impact on both parents and children’s mental health was noted as an important benefit. They are important because they keep them motivated, they also get to meet other kids outside their own environments, mingling with others, as I feel 7 weeks off school is a bit long away from their friends, which I think can be daunting when the time comes for them to go back, whereas these camps keep their wee social skills going. We have a lot of mental health issues and disabilities in our house. There are 6 of us to space to ourselves isn't really an option. Having the younger ones at summer camp, gave the older ones some space which helped immensely. Because we have 3 children and although we work money is very tight. We can't afford to take our children out on day trips over the summer as its too expensive. The camp gives them something to do and be like their friends who go to other camps. The views of children, young people and their families will be used to further develop holiday childcare and activity programmes in the future.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 18 The table below details the characteristics of the families who responded to the questions as part of the sign up process for the Summer Camps. The majority of families were lone parents, while over a third of families had 3 or more children. Promotion of the camps was done through messaging to all parents and carers in receipt of School Clothing Grants, to ensure the camps were targeted to low income families. Although those parents passed the booking details to friends and family, the figures show that the camps reached the targeted groups. Category Yes Responses % of Families Lone parent families 374 out of 843 44.4 Families with 3 or more children 316 out of 871 36.3 Families with a disability 187 out of 843 22.2 Black and minority ethnic families 73 out of 874 8.4 Families with a child under 1 55 out of 874 6.3 Families with parents under 25 16 out of 874 1.8 Percentage of children from each age Category % of Families Aged 5 2.6 Aged 6 15.8 Aged 7 19.0 Aged 8 15.1 Aged 9 17.5 Aged 10 11.7 Aged 11 9.3 Aged 12 5.5 Aged 13 2.7 Aged 14 0.6
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 19 Aged 15 0.1 The overall total within the ‘Yes responses’ column is calculated by counting only those responses where an obvious straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response was provided, hence the differing totals for each category. On a less positive note, over the summer holiday period around 2,776 attendances were recorded out of a possible 3,744 spaces, with children and young people benefitting from the daytime camp provision. It has been established that many parents and carers that do a block booking when the programme launches do not show up to the camps and do not cancel their spaces. Looking forward, we will examine how we can remind parents of the camps and prompt them to cancel if they will not attend, to allow other families to make use of the places. A waiting list is kept, so when cancellations are made, other families can be quickly advised of spaces. Looking at geographical coverage, there were registrations for the camps from most areas across Renfrewshire with the exception of Lochwinnoch. We can infer that transport may be an issue for parents and carers to get children to camps from this village, especially for those who don’t have a car, however we will ensure we promote any future camps to Lochwinnoch parents and carers.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 20 Most comments about staff were very positive noting that staff were friendly and helpful, remembering children’s names and encouraging children who were shy to participate. Comments from parents are included below. Staff are amazing my daughter is selective mute and is autistic and their absolutely amazing with her. All staff were great, friendly, made all the kids and the parents dropping them off welcome. I felt it went smoothly and offered lunch etc. it wasn’t rushed. My daughter really enjoyed it and only had positive things to say. My daughters favourite staff member was the art and craft lady. b. Summer of Fun Community Programme In mid August a feedback form was sent out to every organisation that had delivered activities as part of the Summer of Fun Community Programme to ask about their experience of delivering activities and to gain understanding of the difference that it had made for those who participated. Out of 21 funded projects, 19 feedback forms were returned. Feedback from organisations included photographs of activities, some of which are included in this report. Promoting Activities Renfrewshire Council’s Communications and Marketing team promoted the Summer of Fun programme widely through social media and organised a poster distribution to venues across Renfrewshire towns. In line with input from the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel, all free activites, whether Summer of Fun grant funded, through Community Learning and Development, or through Libraries, were listed on one web page. This included the Skoobmobile programme. Organisations were asked how people found out about the activities they were offering. While 79% of those who responded stated that people had found out about their project mainly through social media, 58% found that word of mouth was a key factor in promoting their activity. Just over half of respondents (53%) related that people found out because they were already attending other activities that the organisation delivered, while 42% cited referrals from partner organisations.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 21 How did people find out about your Summer of Fun project? Method of information % Social media 79 Word of mouth 58 Attending other activities 53 Partners 42 Posters 37 Referral from another organisation 16 Council website 5 Note: All respondents provided more than one answer to this question We used Facebook in the first instance and due to the massive response we didn't need to advertise anywhere else. Our drop in sessions were also promoted on social media, word of mouth was a specific strength here for our teen drop in sessions as many of the local young people do not use Facebook and we do not have TikTok etc to target them online. Thankfully, through the weeks, the drop in has only become busier and busier due to young people spreading the word amongst friends. Erskine Arts Due to the nature of their work, Renfrewshire Women’s Aid only invited women and children who were already using their service to attend the summer programme. Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies promoted their activities to young people attending their youth club, via the local Shortroods Facebook page and networking with the local school. Friends of Knockhill Park also contacted local nurseries and schools before the start of the summer holidays and School of African Cultures used their local school very successfully to advertise their programme.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 22 The Tannahill Centre advertised through their social media pages and also engaged with regular members at their youth club and were fully subscribed within two days of advertising. CREATE Paisley found that many of the young people they engage with through term time brought friends along who had not engaged with them before and these young people have continued to attend sessions since. They also found that many of the young people who regularly attend a specific drop-in, attended other drop-ins in other areas, creating lots of connections across the different groups in Renfrewshire. Only 8 organisations had received referrals and these came from a wide range of organisations including schools, the Health and Social Care Partnership, Whole Family Wellbeing, Barnardos, Serve 2020, and other local groups such as the STAR Project and Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde. Going forward we will look at how we can maximise referrals for families who may benefit from free activities.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 23 How successful were the activity sessions? All organisations had consistently good attendance throughout the summer and found that sessions were booked up very quickly. The range of engaging activities on offer was aimed at different ages and often included trips to places of interest, resulting in a successful programme that afforded children and young people the opportunity to try new activities in an inclusive and supportive environment. Children were able to maintain their friendships from school as well as making new friends and memories with their families. Most of our workshops were fully booked within a few hours. This shows the need for free activity during the summer, we think we offered a varied and diverse mixture of booked activity and drop in sessions for all ages. Everything we have offered over the summer has been really well attended and has created a lovely feeling of community in our space. All the verbal feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, and it has even led to some interest in our term time programme, which has affordability and accessibility at its core. Erskine Arts The programme ensured that there were no financial barriers to participation. This was important for families who may have been reluctant to sign up for sessions because of concerns around additional costs, for example lunches, snacks and entrance fees to attractions. Paisley YMCA let parents know that lunches and snacks would be provided so that families were aware up front that there would be no additional costs associated with attending their sessions. Many organisations commented on the inclusivity of the activities on offer. KLAS Care ensured that children accessing free places at their summer programme were integrated into the main service provision and Sewing2gether All Nations ensured that all ages were able to participate by providing different activities for younger children. The inclusive nature Erskine Arts music programme
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 24 of the programme was particularly beneficial for children who needed a bit of additional support. The private family sessions and sensory sessions were particularly well-received, providing a safe and supportive environment for families and children with special needs. The inclusive environment and the specialised attention from our volunteer team ensured that everyone felt supported and included. Just Dive In Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies found that being based within a community centre that was local and available to all young people in the community led to good attendance and enabled them to network with the local schools. CREATE Paisley found that running drop-ins at the times and venues the young people were used to and familiar with, was crucial to the success of their summer programme and provided structure throughout the summer period. We were able to provide a regular check-in point for young people at a time when many feel out of touch with support services/trusted adults. For neurodiverse young people, we were able to continue an element of routine in their lives where there might be a lack of structure with schools and colleges being off. CREATE Paisley Many organisations brought in external partners to deliver activities, for example Thorn Athletic Community Trust invited Police Scotland along to some of their sessions, which added a valuable educational element to the programme. Other organisations linked in with Right2Dance and Pachedu for dance and drumming workshops and Paisley Community Circus to deliver circus skills. The STAR Project found that working with partners provided additional opportunities for participants to meet new people and offer peer support. We have always worked with partners to encourage a more diverse range of families on trips but this year we specifically allocated additional places for families involved with Pachedu and the local After School Club to get involved. This worked well as it meant they were able to offer their community access to trips and our regular community members were able to meet new people. During the trips, staff were available if people needed support, but many families peer-supported each other, and the trips facilitated strong bonds among attendees. Since returning from the trips, many of the attendees who had not previously met, have continued to meet up outside the Project and attend other activities within STAR. STAR Project
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 25 Some organisations were keen to get young people as involved as possible in deciding which activities to do. Paisley YMCA asked for suggestions and then tailored activities in line with the feedback they received. The School of African Cultures had a plan but also listened to what young people wanted to do. Young people enjoyed going to the park so a visit to the park was built in to any trips that they did around Renfrewshire. CREATE Paisley went a step further and undertook weeks of consultation with the young people prior to developing their summer programme. This resulted in a programme that was developed and led by the interests and needs of the young people they engage with. The young people put forward their own suggestions for the trips we went on, they were consulted about what workshops/ activities they would like to see at the drop-ins, and the Youth Forum event process was led by them from start to finish. This meant that we had consistent attendance throughout the summer and across the different projects. They could see their suggestions being brought to life and their needs being met. CREATE Paisley Outspoken Arts and the Tannahill Centre both commented that children enjoyed creative activities and the fact that they were able to create their own artworks and take them home. Tannahill Centre trip to the Riverside Museum
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 26 The young people were keen to engage in the art activities, especially tie dye. I think the young people liked the idea of creating and applying their learning and going home with a finished product. Tannahill Centre How many people attended? Organisations were asked about the number of people who attended their activities. We did not ask organisations to keep track of numbers while delivering activities, but some did, and others provided an estimate. The average number of people attending each session was 20 adults and 32 children (from 19 project responses). Not all projects had adults participating. Some projects had much higher attendance such as Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies (45 children per session) and KLAS Care (55 children per session). Sessions which attracted the most children were activities for toddlers, football camp, cheerleading, arts and crafts and fun days. Paisley North Community Council attracted 80 adults and 150 children to their Carnival themed Fun Day. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre had 50 young people attending each in house session and 40 young people attending day trips while their inflatable fun day attracted 100 young people over two sessions. Not all projects ran for a full six weeks but an estimated figure from 19 project responses suggests that around 577 adults and 1,939 children benefited from Summer of Fun activities. Outspoken Arts Tannahill Centre, tie dye t-shirts
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 27 The aim of the small grants programme overall was to provide a range of activities that would be accessible to low-income families across Renfrewshire, in particular supporting families in the six child poverty priority groups, who are at higher risk of living on a low- income as well as Care Experienced young people. All 19 small grants funded projects that provided feedback responded that they had managed to reach these families through their activities. Just over a quarter of projects (26%) were able to reach families in all of the child poverty priority groups and those with care experience, whilst 79% of projects were able to reach families in four or more of the six child poverty priority groups. Almost 37% of projects managed to reach six of the seven priority groups. Projects were most successful at reaching the following families: • families with three or more children (100%) • lone parents (84%) • families where someone in the house has a disability (84%) • families where parents are under the age of 25 (74%) • black and minority ethnic families (74%) Just over two thirds of organisations managed to reach families with a child aged under one year old (68%) and 63% of organisations reached care experienced children and young people. Paisley North Community Council Carnival Fun Day
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 28 Who attended your Summer of Fun project? Number of projects % Families with 3 or more children 19 100 Lone Parents 16 84 Families where someone in the house has a disability 16 84 Families where parents are under the age of 25 14 74 Black and minority ethnic families 14 74 Families with a child aged under one year old 13 68 Care experienced children and young people 12 63 When asked how they were able to reach these families, whilst some organisations received referrals, most of the organisations responded that they are based in areas with a high level of single parent families on low incomes and many of the young people already use their other services. Other projects worked with asylum seekers, refugees on universal credit and people with No Recourse to Public Funds. We already work with low-income families and have positive relationships with them and so we made sure to communicate directly with them to make them aware of the sessions we were offering; that they were free, and that food and snacks would be provided too. We also received a very kind donation of back-to-school items e.g. uniforms, school bags, pencil cases, water bottles & stationery from a local business (facilitated by Cash for Kids) so we encouraged our families to take whatever they were able to use to help ease some of the costs associated with young people returning to school. We shared the remaining items with a local organisation in Ferguslie Park who also work with low-income and child poverty priority families. Paisley YMCA Organisations proactively ensured that the programme would reach families most in need by working directly with local schools and Home Link workers who were able to refer families that they knew would benefit from the programme. They also offered priority booking for postcodes within the highest SIMD areas.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 29 Partnership working was also used to idenfity families that would benefit most from free spaces. Beneficiaries of the free trip places (20 per trip) and the free end-of-summer evaluation event were identified through our partnership with statutory and voluntary services and our own community base. We liaised with our partners to identify family groups who would not ordinarily access STAR’s services but who would benefit from gaining access to free trips. When we released our Summer Programme and asked families to sign up for trips, we met with each family to discern who would benefit from being offered free places. STAR Project Feedback from families and young people themselves has also confirmed that the programme has benefited those who needed it most. With verbal feedback, we have had good mix of people telling us that they would not have had the opportunity for their children to have done other summer camps ‘because of the cost’. This feedback has been repeated throughout the summer. Erskine Arts Many of our young people do not have access to many of the activities on offer ie: dancing and circus skills. Some young people commented on how they used to attend these clubs but could not afford the upkeep. Tannahill Centre Johnstone Castle Learning Centre trip to Blairdrummond Safari Park
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 30 What difference did the small grants programme make? Feedback from organisations about the impact of the programme was overwhelmingly positive. All the organisations agreed that there were several benefits for families who attended activities. They highlighted the opportunity for low-income families to access fun activities that were open to everyone and where their children could socialise and make new friends in a safe environment. Most respondents reported that the programme had encouraged new people to engage with the project (95% of respondents) and activities had also helped to reduce financial costs for families (95%). Other perceived benefits were providing access to information and advice (84% each) and helping people to learn about a new service in their local area (79%). Benefit to people attending activities Number of responses % Providing fun activities that low-income families could access 19 100 Encouraging new people to engage with the project / organisation 18 95 Reducing financial costs for families 18 95 Providing access to information / advice 16 84 Helping people to learn about a new service in their local area 15 79 Some organisations highlighted other benefits of the programme. At KLAS Care, parents had access to a free food pantry, school clothes, leisure clothes, toiletries, period products and laundry products helping to reduce costs. The STAR project went to great lengths to ensure that families who accessed their free spaces did not feel stigmatised. The staff kept their lunches in cool packs alongside the lunches of other attendees at predesignated meeting areas. Therefore, at lunchtime, the families receiving free lunches did not stand out from the other families when collecting their lunch. By doing this, families all came together to eat, often sharing food and discussing the activities of the day. STAR Project
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 31 Participating in fun and engaging activities provided wider benefits for many of the young people who attended the summer programme. Thirteen young people aged 11 to 18 years old volunteered with School of African Cultures over the summer and 9 young people signed up for the Saltire Award. Through attending the programme at Paisley YMCA young people were given the opportunity to share their experiences, stories and views with the Scottish Youth Parliament about human rights and with the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry about their experiences of the pandemic. CREATE Paisley found that the programme provided regular safe and supportive neurodiverse-friendly spaces and activities and encouraged young people across Renfrewshire to engage with young people they did not know from other areas. One of our aims for the GO CREATE Summer Programme was to bring young people from across all the different areas together so they feel more connected to their community, less isolated, have shared positive experiences and make new friends. Throughout the programme, young people from all our different groups across Linwood, Johnstone and Paisley came together for the trips and additional sessions. They made strong connections and even spent time together outside of our sessions as a result. CREATE Paisley The wide variety of activities were well spread out across Renfrewshire and reached many families who would not normally be able to afford to attend a summer programme. Organisations used their local knowledge to ensure that families most in need could participate in and benefit from the programme. Some activities, such as those delivered by Just Dive In, had multiple benefits, including improving mental and physical health and promoting environmental awareness through beachcombing and clean-up activities. Their video report can be viewed here. Brick Lane Music Academy
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 32
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 33 The comprehensive support from the program allowed us to offer a variety of engaging activities at no cost to participants, ensuring broad accessibility. The flexibility of the program also enabled us to tailor our offerings to meet the specific needs of our community. The Marine Marvels programme, in particular, provided a unique educational experience that was both fun and informative, leaving a lasting impact on the young participants. Just Dive In The Tannahill Centre extended their activities to include children under 8 and this had a beneficial impact on parents. A particular highlight was the inclusion of children under 8 as long as they were accompanied with a parent. This also brought parents who were new to the area together and meant that siblings above and below 8 years old were not split up. Some of the parents have offered to volunteer at the youth club when it starts up after the summer. Tannahill Centre For many families without transport or unable to afford public transport, the trips to visitor attractions were a highlight of the summer for both parents and children. Renfrew YMCA discovered that these trips also benefited the young people in a more practical way. They learned how to use public transport, how to plan journeys and learn about what is accessible to them in Renfrewshire and beyond. Renfrewshire Women’s Aid reported that the small amount of funding they received had increased confidence and strenghtned family bonds, leading to positive impacts that will be long lasting for the families who participated. The funding enabled us to provide invaluable respite and joy to mothers and children recovering from domestic abuse. Our programme offered a vital escape from their daily challenges, fostering a sense of normalcy and fun. By providing transport, healthy meals, and access to engaging activities like soft play, farm parks, and the Sealife centre, we created memorable experiences that empowered children and gave them positive stories to share. These outings not only boosted their confidence but also provided much-needed quality time for families to bond and rebuild. Renfrewshire Women’s Aid
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 34 Suggested improvements to the small grants programme There are always ways in which we can improve upon our design, development and delivery of the summer programme. The most common comments from projects related to additional funding and having funding decisions made earlier. Organisations were positive about communication with council officers and the speed of payments, however the timescales between being awarded funding and delivering the programme of activities was challenging. Several organisations suggested that providing information about the Summer of Fun programme and awarding funding earlier would have given them more time to plan and advertise activities and to liaise with partner organisations, including schools, nurseries and health visitors to reach families that would benefit most. Organisations would also like funding decisions to be made as early as possible. One commented that having a decision in March would allow them to organise staffing and improve marketing for places. Everything went really well and smoothly with the exception of the length of time to hear back if the application was successful or not, this meant that some families, children and young people were unsure of their plans and it made it more of a challenge for our team to make plans. Paisley YMCA School of African Cultures, first trip in the Underground Tannahill Centre pizza making
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 35 Additional funding would help organisations to expand their programmes or offer more free places. The demand for activities often exceeded what organisations were able to supply. This was evident from how quickly sessions were booked up, sometimes in a matter of hours. Most of the organisations would like to offer more sessions but need more funding to do this due to increasing costs for staffing and overheads. Some organisations would like to be able to increase staffing levels on high demand days to manage large groups better or would like to increase the hours to better support working parents with childcare. One organisation suggested that exploring partnerships with local businesses or community organisations could provide opportunities for discounted or free entry to attractions, maximising the use of the funding. Another suggestion was to improve marketing to increase awareness of the programme and have more of a digital presence. Currently the programme is promoted through the Council’s webpage, social media and through networking with partners. Targeted promotion through Childrens Services to all schools could help to cascade information down to parents and raise awareness of the programme. c. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision For children with additional support needs attending activities at the Mary Russell and Riverbrae schools, the aim was to provide activities that focussed on inspiring conversation and understanding others, prompting kindness and friendship. Children were involved in deciding which activities to do. For example, at Mary Russell school children identified that they wanted to go and explore their surroundings in a physically active way and this promoted an increase in positive mental health. Delivering activities in a school for ASN children allowed for a free flow indoor and outdoor space, giving a full and rich environment that was both challenging and safe. Outdoor leaning played a huge part with the children who were encouraged to be creative with their play and were given the tools to achieve this. 193 families were supported by Riverbrae and 309 bookings (free and paid for) were made for Mary Russell. Feedback from parents was very positive and identified the benefits to both children and parents. Ava has loved her time with the playscheme, she has never been able to settle anywhere before including school, she has been so happy, although Ava is nonverbal, but she was clearly empowered by the support she was given, I can’t thank everyone enough, the staff have made me and Ava very happy.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 36 Kolten’s speech came on leaps and bounds, this showed that he was comfortable and felt safe in the environment. The service was a life saver, it allowed me to go and visit my mum who was at the end-of-life care and Kolten refused to go into the hospice to see her, playtime allowed me quality time with mum, I really don’t know what I would have done with this. The surprise outcome for me was that his development and confidence grew, it was amazing. Ethan has had such a lovely time; I want to thank everyone involved for giving us the opportunity to attend and getting to buy the extra spaces was great. d. Adult and Family Learning 54 families took part in the Adult and Family learning programme. Places were offered to families of learners that face multiple barriers and who are already engaged with the service. Participants commented on the friendliness of the groups, the inclusivity of the programme and the opportunity it provided to get kids out of the house away from computer games. Parents enjoyed seeing their children mixing with other children, enjoying the activities and they also benefitted from meeting other parents. Summer family day was fully inclusive for my ASN girls, they dipped in and out as they could cope and had a fantastic time. Mixing with other children is something we don’t get to do very often. Thank you for the sessions and as always, your patience and kindness. Attendee Can’t afford to do things with kids because it’s so expensive and to have something like this to come to and spend as family great, kids love doing the activities and it’s nice to share what we did as a group. Attendee Family Fun Days –Photos from Moorpark, Bargarran and Glenburn Learning Centres, Southend Action Centre and West Johnstone Shared Campus.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 37 4. Conclusions The Summer of Fun programme aimed to deliver activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low-income families. Feedback suggests that the programme was able to reach these families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups. The majority of families that attended the holiday camps were lone parents, while over a third of families had 3 or more children. All 19 small grants funded projects that provided feedback responded that they had also managed to reach these families through their activities. Feedback from the small grants programme suggests that the programme benefited around 577 adults and 1,939 children by providing inclusive, safe environments for children to participate in activities, make friends and create lasting memories with their families. In addition, there were 2,776 attendances at the holiday camps and 2,221 at Street Stuff, while the Adult and Family Learning team supported 54 families in Renfrewshire. ASN provision at Riverbrae supported 193 families and 309 bookings were made for Mary Russell. There is evidence that the Summer of Fun programme provided a range of benefits for children and their parents/carers including: • providing free fun activities that low-income families could access • supporting working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents • providing a safe environment for children to socialise • having a positive impact on parents and children’s mental health • encouraging new people to engage with services • helping to reduce financial costs for families. It provided access to food, activities, clothing and advice, providing support in a dignified manner which reduced the potential for stigma. Whilst the summer camps were successful in reaching low income families, with children and young people benefitting from the daytime camp provision, it must be recognised that there were a significant number of unused spaces with 2,776 attendances were recorded out of a possible 3,744 spaces over the summer. Moving forward, it is recommended that further work is carried out to minimise unused spaces, for example, a system which reminds parents and carers to attend or release places. Community Learning and Development do operate a waiting list for the camps and for future camps, we will examine how we can maximise attendance and utilise the waiting list to ensure families get the benefit of the free places.
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 38 Whilst the Community Programme was successful, it is important to take into account feedback from organisations that could improve a future programme. Earlier notice of funding opportunities would enable organisations to plan a detailed programme of activity and to work with partners to promote this to families who will benefit most from the small grants programme. Targeted promotion of the Community Programme through Childrens Services to all schools could help to cascade information down to parents and raise more awareness of the programme. The offer of a blended approach for ASN between free and paid for spaces was popular but did exclude some families who had no access to transport. Bridging the gap in supporting the developmental needs of children with ASN and the financial struggles of some families that need respite is an issue that requires consideration in future provision. Providing programmes that are inclusive and accessible for all children and young people is an important part of the legacy of the Summer of Fun initiative. Additional funding across the programme would increase capacity and allow expansion of activities on offer to meet demand and support more families, with the benefits this brings across the areas mentioned above. I feel the whole project worked well. We had great positive feedback from our young people, their families and the local and wider communities. We help to prevent the young people engaging in anti-social behaviour and youth disorder. We alleviated food poverty due to the cost of living crisis by providing a snack or lunch depending on the length of time the session ran. We also helped to prevent the escalation of mental health within our young people. And we help alleviate financial pressure on low income families. Feedback stated the majority of the families could not have afforded such luxuries if the project had not taken place and our services helped to offer respite to the parents and guardians of the young people who attended. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 39 5. Appendix – Organisations which received Summer of Fun small grants Brick Lane Music Academy CREATE Paisley Erskine Arts Friends of Knockhill Park Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Just Dive in CIC KLAS Care CIC Outspoken Arts Ltd Paisley North Community Council Paisley YMCA Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities (REEM) Renfrew YMCA Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Renfrewshire Women’s Aid School of African Cultures Scottish Afro Caribbean Arts Association Sewing2gether All Nations STAR Project Tannahill Centre Thorn Athletic Community Trust Twist and Hit Cheerleaders
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Summer of Fun 2024 Evaluation Report 40 to all of the organisations who provided feedback, quotes, photographs and video links for this report Chief Executive’s Service Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR School of African Cultures, trip to the Botanic Gardens