Cllr Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and Cllr Matthew Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, have hailed the "incredibly important" Young Greenwich Summer Camp programme, which has now come to an end.
The targeted summer camp gave young people from Royal Greenwich the opportunity to join a week-long programme of educational and sporting activities at three venues.
A total of 570 week-long places were filled by 8 to 16 year-olds from the Borough throughout the summer holidays. Participants were also provided with a healthy breakfast and lunch each day as part of the programme.
Speaking about his visit, Cllr Thorpe said:
“It’s been wonderful to come and hear first-hand from young people in Greenwich about the positive difference that we’ve made to their summer. The past few months have been really difficult for them and I think it’s incredibly important to be providing activities for them to participate in, in a COVID secure way.
“Providing support for young people and their families is a top priority for the Council and our partners, which is why we made sure these camps happen and we are also once again ensuring access to free meals for all young people across the borough during the holidays – details can be found on our website. I want to thank all the staff and volunteers who have pulled together to make it all possible this year, under such trying circumstances.”
Free meals were provided by Charlton Athletic Football Club, with catering partner Gather & Gather, from their kitchens at The Valley. A total of 7,545 meals were provided in total.
Cllr Thorpe, Cllr Morrow and Heidi King, from University of Greenwich, visited the kitchen team before heading to Eltham Hill School and Hawksmoor Youth Hub to meet young people on the project.
13-year-old Jess, who attended the Young Greenwich Summer Camp, said:
“It’s really good, it’s a reason to get out of bed every morning because otherwise we would all be at home or just hanging around the area.”
Jason Morgan, CACT’s Chief Executive, said:
“The relationship between the Council and CACT over the last six months has been brilliant with first, the Community Hub and now with this summer project. Danny knew that there was a need to do something in the summer for young people and was more than happy to help and support.
“To bring Danny and others along to see what we’re doing is really important.”