Key Points
- The Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun programme has provided more than one million places for children and young people across Wales since it began 11 years ago.
- The Welsh Government provided £5.85 million for the scheme, which ran this summer in 384 schools across all 22 local authorities and offered more than 16,000 places each day.
- Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Welsh Language Anna Brychan visited Blenheim Road Primary School to mark the one-million-place milestone.
- The 2026 theme, “Legends (Chwedlau)”, involved activities based on real and mythical Welsh legends from the past and present.
- The programme offers healthy meals, physical activities and food literacy, while helping with family budgets and preparing pupils for their return to school in September.
Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) August 24, 2026 – A national holiday enrichment scheme that originated as a local pilot project in Cardiff has officially reached the milestone of providing more than one million places to pupils across Wales. The Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun programme, coordinated by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and supported by £5.85 million in Welsh Government funding, operated across all 22 Welsh local authorities this summer. With 384 schools participating, the initiative made over 16,000 places available daily to promote healthy living, support learner wellbeing, and ease financial burdens on families during the summer break.
How Has the Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun Scheme Achieved the One Million Place Milestone?
The scheme originally began as a small pilot project led by Cardiff Council before expanding into the national School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP). Over the past 11 years, the initiative has grown into a cross-country network operating in both English and Welsh medium schools.
The primary aim of the programme is to combat holiday hunger, address the learning loss often experienced during the long summer break, and encourage active lifestyles. By keeping school facilities open during the holidays, pupils are provided with a safe, familiar environment where they can access balanced meals, participate in sports, and engage in creative workshops.
This summer’s provision was built around the theme “Legends (Chwedlau)”. Learners were invited to undertake a creative “quest for a shield,” participating in activities rooted in local and national historical, mythical, and contemporary legends.
To commemorate the milestone of one million places, Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, conducted an official visit to Blenheim Road Primary School to observe the scheme in operation.
As reported by official statements from the Welsh Government, Cabinet Secretary Anna Brychan stated that
“one million places to support learners has only been reached thanks to the hard work of the education and local authority workforce, who create an interesting programme for learners.”
Brychan added:
“Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun provides many benefits, including helping to build confidence, supports wellbeing and gives learners the chance to try new things and spend time with friends during the summer holidays in the familiar environment of their school.”
During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary highlighted specific elements of the provision, notably the emphasis on nutrition and youth employment pathways.
As reported by official statements from the Welsh Government, Cabinet Secretary Anna Brychan noted that
“the focus on food literacy was particularly welcome, as was the wealth of volunteering opportunities the programme offers local young people, to work alongside and learn from experienced youth and play leads.”
Why Is the Programme Considered Crucial for Families and Local Communities?
The administration of the programme relies on multi-agency collaboration between local authority teams, school staff, health boards, and third-sector partner organisations. Beyond nutritional and recreational benefits, local government leaders highlight the economic relief the scheme offers to households facing rising living costs.
As reported by official statements from the Welsh Local Government Association, Councillor Lis Burnett, WLGA Spokesperson for Education, stated that
“we’re delighted to welcome the Cabinet Minister to Blenheim Road to see the difference Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun makes to children and families.”
Councillor Burnett detailed the broader social impact of the initiative, noting:
“Healthy meals, fun activities, and opportunities to learn and socialise help children thrive during the school holidays, while easing pressure on family budgets and supports children in readiness for return to school in September.”
Reflecting on the long-term progression of the project, Councillor Burnett added:
“Providing more than one million funded places over the past 11 years is a remarkable milestone. It reflects the dedication of councils, schools, and their partners across Wales, and we are proud to work with the Welsh Government to give even more children these valuable opportunities.”
The daily schedule across the 384 participating schools typically includes a healthy breakfast, interactive food education sessions, at least one hour of physical activity, a hot nutritious lunch, and structured play. The dual-language delivery ensures that both Welsh-medium and English-medium provisions are available depending on the linguistic profile of the community.
Background of the Development
The School Holiday Enrichment Programme was first developed in 2015 by Cardiff Council’s catering and environmental health teams in response to growing evidence regarding “holiday hunger” and the widening attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers during the summer break. Studies indicated that children from lower-income households were at higher risk of nutritional risk, social isolation, and academic regression when school canteens and structured learning environments were closed for six weeks.
Following successful trials in Cardiff, the WLGA adopted the framework to roll it out nationally under the brand “Bwyd a Hwyl / Food and Fun”. The Welsh Government subsequently integrated the scheme into its national education and anti-poverty strategies, securing annual ring-fenced funding to subsidise local authorities. Over the past decade, the model has expanded from serving a few hundred children in urban centers to an established national infrastructure spanning rural, valley, and coastal communities across all 22 local authority areas in Wales.
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Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Families, Schools, and Local Authorities
The continued expansion and sustained £5.85 million funding commitment for the Bwyd a Hwyl Food and Fun programme are expected to have several long-term effects on key groups across Wales:
- For Working Families and Low-Income Households: The provision of daily free breakfasts and hot lunches directly offsets rising food utility expenses during the six-week holiday period. By offering supervised care and structured play, the scheme also reduces childcare costs, enabling parents and carers to maintain employment or training commitments without incurring additional seasonal expenses.
- For Learners and School Communities: Pupils returning to classrooms in September are predicted to show higher levels of school readiness, smoother social reintegration, and reduced academic regression. Regular physical exercise and structured food literacy sessions help establish long-term healthy lifestyle habits, reducing the health inequities typically exacerbated during school closures.
- For Young People and the Local Workforce: The continued growth of the scheme secures seasonal employment and accredited volunteering pathways for local young people. Working alongside experienced play leaders and youth workers provides local teenagers and young adults with practical training, improving their future employability in education, childcare, and sports coaching sectors.
