JCB has pledged £375,000 to support half-term holiday activities for thousands of vulnerable children.
A partnership with charity The Hubb Foundation was announced yesterday afternoon, with the digger maker funding 1,000 activity places every half term in February, May and October at up to 35 Stoke-on-Trent schools.
The three-year partnership will also cover a marketing post over the same time period.
The ‘Hubb Holidays’ scheme will see schools supporting children who will benefit most from attending activities and experiences ranging from sports clubs and treasure hunts to poetry workshops and fun STEM themed sessions.
Chairman Anthony Bamford said: “We are delighted to support the incredible work of The Hubb Foundation with a £375,000 donation over the next three years.
“JCB employs more than 1,700 people from Stoke-on-Trent at its six Staffordshire factories, so the city and its people play a big part in our company’s success. JCB is a family company so it’s important to us that all children across Stoke-on-Trent have the very best start in life and have the confidence to aim high, not least because they could be our apprentices and employees of the future.”
JCB began working with The Hubb Foundation during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when chefs at the company’s World HQ in Rocester, prepared 35,000 meals for the charity to deliver to vulnerable families across Stoke-on-Trent.
The two organisations have collaborated on JCB’s annual Christmas toy appeal for the past four years, with the Foundation distributing almost 6,000 donated gifts from JCB employees to disadvantaged children throughout the city.
The Hubb Foundation’s CEO Adam Yates said: “In Stoke-on-Trent more than 19,000 children are classed as living in absolute poverty. Since our charity launched in 2018, the programme has made a massive difference to the city’s most vulnerable children raising their aspirations, providing hundreds of thousands of healthy meals and starting to drive great social change.
“The JCB partnership is a real gamechanger and will ensure that every school holiday can be a happy, fun and healthy experience for those most in need across the city. We also know it will be an absolute lifeline for parents too.”
The scheme was launched at St Mary’s Primary School in Tunstall yesterday where 50 children enjoyed a morning of robotics STEM workshops run by teachers, trusted activity providers and JCB apprentices, as well as English enrichment sessions with Pep the Poet and a JCB digger experience. The activities were followed by a healthy free lunch.
The Government’s HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme funds school holiday activities during the main Easter, Summer and Christmas breaks.
