School holidays should mean fun, friends and freedom – but for too many families, the reality is stress, screens and tough choices. In this episode, Tim and Piers explore the idea of activity hunger with Anna Hoddinott from John Lyon’s Charity.

We’ve all heard about holiday hunger and food insecurity, but activity hunger is just as real: the lack of affordable, engaging opportunities for children when school is out. Anna shares powerful insights on:

• Why missing out on fun and play impacts children’s confidence, learning and friendships.

• How John Lyon’s Charity has supported thousands of families with its School Holiday Activity Fund.

• What needs to change at a policy level to help parents juggle work, childcare and holiday costs.

• The perfect storm of cost of living pressures, safety fears and social media pressures that make this challenge even harder today.

Plus, we look at some of the week’s big charity news stories – including a strong joint response from UK autism charities to Donald Trump’s latest bizarre health claims, and how several high-profile organisations handled the fallout from the Epstein files with swift, decisive crisis comms.

And don’t miss our Small Charity Spotlight:

• The Moving On Project Portsmouth – rehoming free furniture and household items to families in need.

• Boost at DCHS – giving rural young people the opportunities and support they often miss out on.

Useful Links

• John Lyon’s Charity – jlc.london

• Learn more about the School Holiday Activity Fund – jlc.london/funding

• Moving On Project Portsmouth

• Boost at DCHS

  
  

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