Summer 2025 Holiday Workshops

Published on 18 September 2025.

This summer we ran free and fun holiday workshops for children and their families in Barton Hill who are in receipt of free schools meals. This included creative activities led by artists, cooking workshops and day trips for our local families during the school holidays, all accompanied by healthy meals in partnership with St Lukes Lunch.

In the Travelling Light studio, children made super hero capes, people to inhabit a new park and a huge communal painting of their favourite places. They explored recipes and cooking skills and made burgers, salads, pasta and toasties to share with families. We also hosted a picnic for local families at Netham Park in Barton Hill and day trips to Bristol Zoo project and We The Curious. The sessions provided a welcome introduction to arts activities and having a variety of activities meant there was something for everyone.

The workshops enabled participants to share stories and ideas and included opportunities to share and celebrate different cultures. We also enjoyed local outdoor spaces with activities in the new Ducie Road Pocket Parklet and Barton Hill Urban Park.

A space to share

Families told us that these spaces felt safe and are a place where they can share things, and where others are interested in them as people and their stories and lives.

Children said that they enjoyed being with friends, having the courage to try new things and having agency (choice) over the activities.

Evaluation showed that 90% of parents felt their children were more creative as a result of the holiday activities and 80% felt their children were more confident.

Some lovely feedback from parents and carers

"The Travelling Light and St Luke's sessions give me a feeling of safety and welcome." Parent

“Has been very helpful to me and my family. I am very happy with the support provided.”  Parent

“It’s been amazing, with such a big family this has helped me entertain and feed my children…without this group it wouldn’t have been possible to do many things” Parent

Gaining confidence and cooking skills

A local parent with 4 young children has attended events with our food partner, St Luke's Lunch, previously. She was keen to gain some work experience and responded to a call out for volunteers to help with the cooking activities on our summer holiday programme and also signed her children up to take part in all 4 of our summer sessions.

Through volunteering with our programme, she has had fun and inspired children from the local community to try new things and develop new cooking skills. She has seen how her children have gained in confidence in the kitchen, trying skills they have learnt in the holiday workshops, developing an understanding where food comes from and how to prepare healthy meals.

"The activity was helpful for me and my children because I got a chance to practice the receipes with my children after they attended the workshops. My son loves cooking and practicing the new skills. After he attended the fresh pasta workshop he tried it at home with his siblings and it was amazing."

Thank you to our supporters

Thanks to all our funders and supporters of this programme - Sovereign Network Group, Bristol City Council, Holiday Activity Fund/Your Holiday Club, Quartet Community Foundation (Community Recovery Fund), Gibbs Trust, Cash for Kids, our Travelling Light Friends and all donors to our fundraising campaign in March.