Lion Farm Action Centre
Lion Farm Action Centre delivers a fun, inclusive and engaging holiday programme for children and young people, providing opportunities to stay active, get creative and make new friends during the school holidays.
Activities may include sports, arts and crafts, cooking, outdoor play, creative projects and a range of enrichment activities designed to build skills, confidence and wellbeing in a safe and supportive environment.
Children are encouraged to explore new interests, develop positive social connections and enjoy a wide variety of experiences while having fun.
Activities available may vary each holiday period. Please visit the booking link to view the current programme and book your place.
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About Us
Lion Farm Action Centre has had a childcare provision for over 20 years. It started as a creche for parent/ carers wanting to take part in training. It then opened as an After School Club which also included holiday provision and then developed into a Playgroup.
Our Afterschool Club has a large waiting list of children waiting for places, providing two weekly dance clubs and 3 free play sessions to children aged 8-12 years. The After School Club is free to attend due to funding from “The Henry Smitch Charity”.
Lion Farm Action Centre continues to also provide Holiday Provision and has been granted HAF funding for the past 3 years and before that Play is Making a Difference funding.
The majority of staff and childcare managers who run, work or volunteer within the childcare provision have done so for over 15 years so already have a good relationship with the children and families from the local area. They have a good understanding of the needs of the families and how to serve them and the community best.
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What makes Lion Farm Action Centre Playscheme unique?
Our people
Lion Farm Action Centre is the only Community group in the locality that provides free services, from highly qualified, experienced and enthusiastic staff, that have lived, worked, and been educated on the estate giving them a good understanding of the challenges faced by residents, and making them able to build strong, trusting, positive relationships.
Our senior staff are both Mental Health first aid trained and have a huge passion for what they do, going above and beyond to support the needs of the children and families they serve and have a range of other support to signpost to within the organisation. Most of the staff have worked here for several years, and newer staff are very happy in their work. Staff are able to change to adapt to new challenges and ways of working.
Our environment
Lion Farm Action Centre is located directly in the heart of the Lion Farm community and delivers services from the pleasant surroundings of a warm and welcoming former vicarage, making it feel like a home from home. The vicarage has a large, secure outside area, providing children with the outdoor experiences they need.
We have fantastic links with the local amenities working closely with the Library, School, Church, PCSOs councillors and many other community entities in the area.
Our philosophy
We provide an inclusive service and listen to our service users, using feedback to shape future service delivery.
We maintain a friendly, fun atmosphere so that staff and volunteers love to work here, making it a happy place for children to be.
We do what we do because we know there is a need in the area, and we have always had great feedback form parents and children.
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What benefits can you expect from this?
The benefits of our provision are children are given the opportunity to experience activities that families may not be able to afford. The Children are given time to be able to be free, play and be children in a safe space.
Many of the children who attend our setting live in high rise accommodation with no access to a garden or safe play space. Our large outdoor garden space gives the children time to experience the outdoors, climb and swing on our climbing frame. Sit, read, and listen to nature in our hammocks, take part in free play activities with balls and ropes, den building equipment and more.
The cost of living means that families do not get the opportunity to do things together, so we have ensured that family days are included which also include space and time for children with SEND and Complex Needs.
Our family fun days give opportunities to love and look after their community by joining in litter picks, prepare and cook healthy meals from scratch as a family and take part in fun activities together. Once again, these sessions are open to children with SEND and complex needs.
All the children receive a 2- course meal with all leftovers given to the children to take home, should they not have meals at home already.
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What makes this activity inclusive?
We support Children with SEND and additional needs by meeting with parents to put together a care plan before accepting any child onto our session. This gives us the opportunity to discuss the child’s needs to ensure that we can fully support them. This year we have an SEND specific member of staff. She will be working on a 3:1 ratio to support all children with SEND needs. (Please note we cannot accept any children that require a 121)
We have a ramp to the front of the church and disabled toilet when providing our family fun session, with staff on hand to support parent/ carers.
We have booked a wheelchair accessible vehicle to ensure that any child with mobility needs is able to attend our trips.
Lion farm has a diverse community, and every child or family will be welcome.
All staff know basic Makaton. Senior staff have attended Mental Health First aid level 2 training.
Our large garden is a sanctuary for children who have no access to a garden or have mental health struggles.
The child’s voice is always listened to, and their interests promoted into sessions.
Hire of St James Church which has disabled access and utilities this enables us to welcome children and families with mobility struggles.
Children will always have an opportunity to talk to a member of staff of their choice about their feelings, worries or concerns, or write down their feelings or worries and post them into our stay safe box. The stay safe box is checked regular during the day.
What they say about us
The services provided to young people are great; keep up the hard work. I will definitely be booking my child for more sessions in the future.
Parent
A wonderful place where children can have a great time
Parent
Everyone is really friendly and we get to do cool stuff. we can chose what we want to eat, the staff are crazy, fun and caring and you can go to them if they need anything. my favourite thing is that they take me places and do things that we want to do, like dancing and craft and cinema.
Child
“My children always come out smiling and talk about what’s been happening in their day. I will defiantly use Lion Farm Playscheme again 100%. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming”.
“My granddaughter has ADHD, and she needs things to do n keep her busy the Action Centre is a brill place she loves every min of it”
“I would like to thank the whole team for all the amazing work they do, and I look forward to seeing you all again next year.”
“it has given me the confidence to do and experience things I wouldn’t normally do.”
”My children have experienced lots of new adventures this year, things they would have never done without attending your services. They have loved every session they have attended and want to attend again”
BOOKING INFORMATION:
Please book onto the sessions using the 16 digit code provided by your school
Children will not be automatically accepted onto our HAF programme. Once an interest has been provided, parent/carers will the receive an email with an additional registration form, if not already registered with us to complete. Children will only be accepted once our registration form has been completed.
If your booking is declined, you will be placed on a waiting list should places become available. (please note waiting list places can be offered up until 9am the morning of the session)
Please note all correspondence from us will come via email or telephone call!
Email: lfac.haf@gmail.com
Contact number: 0121 544 3094
Social Media:
Facebook: @LionFarmActionCentre