Livv Housing Group and the SNAP programme have come together to help families across Knowsley escape the lockdown blues during the school holidays by providing free summer activity packs.
Livv has donated £20k towards the Sport Nutrition and Active Play scheme, which has so far helped fund 1,250 summer activity packs for youngsters.
The packs were distributed in a fire engine by firefighters from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s Prescot Green Watch, who were keen to support the summer fun initiative.
Each pack has been put together by Livv employees and include:
- A pack of wildflower seeds
- A cookie cutter
- A Jenga set, frisbee, colouring book, and crayons
- A bat-and-ball set and a bubble wand
A thousand packs were also distributed to volunteer hubs across the borough, with another 250 going to some the Livv Housing Group customers who had been identified as needing extra support during the pandemic.
More than 100 packs have also been delivered directly to registered families by staff from One Knowsley.
All deliveries have followed the government guidance on social distancing.
Community commitment
Livv says it committed to investing in the community and working with groups in the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise sectors to enhance the lives of people in the region.
Amanda Newton, executive director of Customer Insight at Livv Housing Group, said: “Our teams had great fun in making up these activity packs, which we hope will bring hours of summer-time fun to children from across the Borough.
“We are committed to supporting the people in our communities and this is small way of us helping out families across the summer.
“During the pandemic we have seen how people and organisations in our borough have come together to support each other. We also recognise that there will be families struggling during the summer holidays and are proud to be playing our part in the SNAP programme.”
She added: “Our income and welfare support team has been working closely with our customers throughout the pandemic to support their needs, so we have identified families who will be receiving packs directly from us as part of our commitment to be there for our customers during these difficult times.”
Racheal Jones, CEO of One Knowsley, said: “Knowsley’s voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector never ceases to amaze us. They have come together during a difficult period of time and created a fantastic summer holiday programme of activities.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to Livv Housing Group for organising and funding summer activity packs for Knowsley children and families, the support you have given to SNAP is invaluable.”
Station Manager Steve Thomas, from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This is a great example of how we can work together on a voluntary basis to help our communities in times of struggle.
“We are delighted to be a part of this fantastic initiative and we hope to provide ongoing assistance during the summer months to support the volunteering sector within the Knowsley community.”
SNAP is coordinated by One Knowsley, in partnership with Livv Housing Group and Knowsley Council, and aims to support children by providing a range of free, engaging, and fun activities that promote health and wellbeing – encouraging them to get active or develop new skills and interests.
Image: Hazel Makinson from Livv with Station Manager Steve Thomas and Prescot Green Watch
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