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<p>The purpose of the Holiday Activities and Food Research Fund is to allow us to
gather more evidence about the number of disadvantaged children at risk of going hungry
during the school holidays, the most effective ways of tackling this, and the costs
and burdens associated with doing so. As a result, we will be able to make an evidence-based
decision about whether and how we should intervene in the longer term.</p><p>The 2019
programme follows a successful £2 million programme in the summer of 2018, which saw
charities and community groups provide meals and activities such as football, play
sessions and cooking classes for more than 18,000 children across the country. To
build on that, we have more than quadrupled the funding for 2019 so that even more
disadvantaged children can benefit. This summer around 50,000 disadvantaged children
will be offered free meals and activities over the upcoming summer holidays with funding
of £9.1 million.</p><p>This programme of work will help us to continue to research
how it can best support children eligible for free school meals during the holidays
and to test a new model under which local co-ordinators oversee and fund clubs in
their areas.</p>
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