Friday, 14 March 2008

Basildon's Fast Card youth activity success

During February’s half term Fast Card holiday scheme for children and young people more than 2,600 youngsters in Basildon enjoyed a varied and imaginative programme of forty-six activities including athletics, basketball, drama, dance and ceramic art.

The success of the scheme has been attributed to good weather, first class organisation, careful branding and marketing and free Fast Card credits as reasons for the high numbers taking part.

The council's Fast Card is a top up leisure card rather like a top-up phone card. During the scheme it was loaded with free credits to permit free participation in the programme for many junior users.

Base Camp for primary schools, fully loaded for 11 to 16 year olds, carried 1,000 free credits, worth £10, which could be exchanged against the various activities during the week long programme. One school, James Hornsby Secondary, had bought and distributed credits to children with high attendance figures as part of a truancy pilot scheme.

The scheme was part funded by grants from the Jack Petchey Foundation, the Football Foundation, Positive Futures and the Community Safety Partnership.

Basildon Council intends to announce another full range of activities for the Easter break.

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