Christmas holiday activities in Andover and food support for local families

Here you will find the contact details of providers who offer free places for eligible children during the Christmas holidays. These are provided through the DfE Holiday Activities and Food Fund program.

These fun and educational activity sessions are aimed at vulnerable children and young people, who include at least those eligible for free school meals. Eligibility will be broadened where possible, please contact individual vendors to book and get more details.

Active holiday camps | Planet Active holiday camps

For children aged 5-14, their active classes allow children to enjoy a wide variety of energetic holiday sports and activities in a safe and supportive environment. These range from traditional favorites like soccer, tennis and cricket to new additions like dodge ball, tag rugby, capture the flag inflatables, go-karts and Sports Leader Courses.

These operate at the Andover Recreation Center and Smannell and Enham Elementary School. Call them on 02381103448

Globe Fit at Augusta Park

Each club day is themed around the world we live in and offers a range of fully inclusive and educational activities suitable for children in school years R through 8.

These take place at the Augusta Park Community Center, East Anton Farm Road, Andover. Call them on 03301330573

Christmas days with the family

Families will be able to participate in a whole range of activities including arts and crafts, circus skills, sports, enjoy good food and good entertainment.

Reservations will be open on Wednesday November 24. Click here to book

All the local events taking place in Andover can be found here in the events section of our website.

If you’re struggling to pay for necessities like food, we’ve put together a list of local helpers available here in Andover.

• Andover Food Bank are part of the national network of food banks, supported by The Trussell Trust, fighting poverty and hunger in the UK. The Andover Food Bank provides emergency food and support to local people in crisis by working in partnership with local agencies and healthcare professionals. They rely on the people of Andover for their donations, support and volunteers to help our community. You can get a food bank voucher a front-line professional, such as a doctor, social worker, Citizens Advice Bureau counselor, the police, or your child’s school Learn more here
• RCS at Longmeadow, Cricket Road, Andover. They run a community pantry open to everyone in Andover. They also provide emergency boxes for those who need them. Learn more about the RCS here
• The YMCA, on Augusta Park in Andover. The Community Cupboard was set up to support vulnerable families within our community in Andover. They now collect FareShare at our local Tesco stores, as well as surplus donations from Coop. This means that we are now able to provide a wider variety of products to local families and minimize food waste. Find out more about what they offer here
• Christmas Day Community Lunch, Andover Churches Together will once again host a community lunch on Christmas Day this year after last year’s forced break. As before, it will be held at the Hall of the United Reformed Church on the 25^e December. Anyone in the Andover area who will be alone on Christmas Day is welcome to join the others in enjoying a Christmas lunch together. To reserve a place, please contact Liz Scrace on 07914 025741 or by email at liz.scrace@ntlworld.com.

This information will be updated regularly as we learn about new services and offerings, so it’s worth checking back here to see what’s new. Please contact us through our community contact here, if you have a service / offer to add.