Author: chrismitchellccct

We have just received this brilliant news regarding Calderdale’s delivery of the Healthy Holiday programme.

We would like to express our thanks to the Community Foundation for Calderdale & Calderdale Council for giving us the opportunity to be involved in such a valuable and needed programme.

We’ve just received the latest HAF Benchmarking Report from the DfE, and Calderdale has been ranked top in the UK for Free School Meal reach, with 57.7% of eligible children accessing the programme in Summer 2025.

For context, the national average was 20.8%, so this really is an incredible achievement.

Here are a few standout highlights:

• Highest FSM reach nationally – 57.7%

• 100% of providers rated Good or Excellent (national average: 80.7%)

• Low no-show rates, showing strong engagement from families

• Excellent value for money

• Primary reach of 88%, with ongoing work to strengthen secondary participation

This is a huge achievement, and it genuinely wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, creativity and commitment from all of you. Every provider, venue, volunteer and partner has contributed to Calderdale being recognised nationally, and I just want to say a massive thank you.

It would be great if you could share this news widely within your organisations – with your schools, venues, leadership teams, governors, and any potential new partner schools you’re working with. The more people who see what we’ve achieved together, the better. This is something we should all be shouting about!

Another 4 weeks worth of HAF provision completed at the Shay this Summer. We had over 400 places filled by children on benefit related free school meals.

The children took part in activities such as football, rugby, tag games, dodgeball, cricket, hockey, tennis, wheelchair sports, new age kurling, boccia, petanque, table tennis and volleyball.

We also had games such as bingo, play your cards right, musical chairs and pass the parcel where prizes were awarded.

We ran various STEP sessions with the children including Lego workshops, building structures with various apparatus.

Each child had a hot 2 course meal each day including curry and rice, sausages, fajitas, baked potatoes, burgers, pasta bolognaise with various puddings.

We also ran a talent show which the children danced, sang and also showcased judo.

During one of the hot days, the children enjoyed a water game where some of them got wet, and some of them got soaked. The sunshine dried them out in no time. Every child had a smile on their face.

8 lucky children also attended a Fire Safety workshop at the Fire Station in King Cross where they learned all about fire safety around the home and even dressed up as firefighters, used the water hoses and climbed the ladders as well has sitting in the fire engine.

We would like to thank ASDA for their continued support of our HAF sessions and their donation of water and fruit that the children enjoyed .

Our next HAF session is in October half term. please keep a look outon our social media platforms for more details.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are having to cancel our planned Heritage and Hall of Fame event on 26th July which was to be held at the Old Rishworthian rugby club.

We will be in touch with individual community clubs to offer the opportunity for our Heritage staff to attend each club, showcasing the work our Heritage offers have done and to present each club with their unique QR code to access the new Heritage website.

Calderdale Community Coaching Trust has had a busy 12 months working with our communities to deliver a wide range of activities such as Healthy Holidays, walking football, Offload, the RL Cares Mental Health programme, schools delivers, a VAPE awareness programme in junior schools, Wheelchair sports delivery, Heritage lunch club, over 50’s social club Young @ Heart and Calderdale Council youth and children’s Play Services sports delivery

Overall:.

We delivered to 5286 individuals

We have delivered 12,284 hits

We delivered 2525 hits to Key Stage 1 children

We delivered 3968 hits to Key Stage 2 children

We had 4820 hits to Calderdale’s over 50’s

We completed 153 DBS verifications for the local community rugby clubs in Calderdale.

We continue to grow year on year and are always looking for new Volunteers to get involved with any of our various projects.

We currently do not have any central funding so all our work in completed via grants, donations, sponsorship and fundraising. If you could help us with any of these during 2025, please get in touch by emailing chris-mitchell@live.co.uk

We are pleased to announce we have once again secured funding for our Healthy Holidays provision held at the Shay Stadium for February and May half terms.

Bookings are now being taken for February with places limited, so booking early is advisable.

Please either click the link below or scan the QR code below.

https://calderdalecommunitycoachingtrust.coordinate.cloud/list

Our latest Heritage Lunch Club was again a massive success despite a number of no shows which prevented others from attending due to full house signs being published.
Steve Tyrer was our guest this month and was great to hear him talk about what Halifax Panthers means to him and his passion for rugby league, including coaching both his children’s teams in Widnes. Steve is pictured with Kevin Mitchell who presented him with his drawing which is something pf a tradition now for all our guest speakers.

The committee thanks all the volunteers who have helped throughout the year including Pat, Irene and Barbera in the kitchen and David on the front door taking payments and selling raffle tickets. Thanks were sent to Malcolm, Ian and artist Kevin for their support throughout the year.
Our next lunch is on 13th January with John Fieldhouse our guest speaker.
Guests booked in so far for 2025 are QLT, Any Hardcastle, Martin Pearson, Ben Thaler and hopefully Les Holliday.

We are pleased to announce we have secured funding to start a Walking Netball group in North Halifax with funding from both the North Halifax Ward Forum and The Percy Bilton Charity.

Their funding will allow us to launch Walking Netball which will allow local residents to get active while enjoying a fun and safe activity.

The weekly sessions will start in the New Year and further details will be on our website and social media platforms.

We would like to announce we have secured new funding from DWF Foundation.

The grant will allow us to deliver and expand our walking activities for the over 50’s.

We are planning to expand our Walking Football programme as well as adding Walking Netball sessions, Walking Tag Rugby sessions as well as walking groups.

Please keep on eye on our website and social media platforms for further details in the New Year.

CCCT Projects Manager Chris Mitchell said “We are looking forward to working with DWF and their staff to run a successful programme that will get the over 50’s in Calderdale active and healthier, both physically and mentally, assist with isolation and loneliness issues that may have resulted since the Covid 19 pandemic”.

Another great Heritage Lunch Club this morning with a record turn out for this months guest, Jim MIlls. it was a fantastic insight into his career.

The quote of the day had to be after a member of the audience asked if he had had many injuries to which Jim answered “I’ve never broke a bone in my life……not my own anyway”

Jim is pictured getting his drawing off kevin Mitchell which s a tradition for all our guest speakers.

We also had 7 Halifax RLFC past players in attendance alongside Jim, Lea Roberts, George Standidge, Paul O’Hara, Dave Busfield, Mick Scott and Ben Beevers who got a round of applause for his induction into the Halifax RLFC hall of fame, who’s photo is here under the blue heritage plaque at Thrum Hall celebrating the first ever Halifax RLFC game at the famous old ground.

Our next lunch is 9th December with Steve Tyrer as guest speaker. Places are limited to 60 and only a few are left so booking early is advisable.