Sutton Summer HAF Festival organised by young people

The London Borough of Sutton, in collaboration with Beyond the Box Young Producers, is thrilled to announce the Sutton Summer Festival, a free, vibrant and inclusive event organised by young people. The festival takes place in Beddington Park on 14 July from 12 - 6pm and promises an afternoon of fun, music, food, and activities for young people and families.

The Festival is being organised as part of the Holiday, Activities and Food programme (HAF). Sutton’s government-funded HAF programme is delivered by Sutton Council working with local organisations to provide free healthy food and fun activities for children and young people receiving benefits-related free school meals. 

Cllr Marian James, Chair of the People Committee at the London Borough of Sutton, said: “I’m so proud of the young people who have organised this unique event to bring our community together while raising awareness of the HAF programme, which offers vital support to families during the holidays.”

Neil Onions, Founding Director of Beyond the Box CIC, said: "The Sutton Summer Festival is a fantastic opportunity for young people to take the lead in creating an event that reflects their interests and passions.”

The Festival has been organised by a group of young people From Sutton. Here’s what some of them shared about the experience:

"I’m looking forward to seeing how our work as a team will be on the day of the event as well as seeing my ideas being brought to life, this is a very big step for me and I believe the HAF programme can bring about happiness within the local community.” 
Max Anderson, 17 years old, from Sutton 

"I joined this project because I wanted to be involved in something more than just a hypothetical situation of improving people's lives. I love how community events bring people together and make an area better by creating new connections between residents. I look forward to working with other individuals and the team to make something special and bring our vision to life.”
Eleanor Reed, 17 years old, from Sutton 

“I was interested by the motivation behind the event - the need to get people active and out the house really resonated with me - and was drawn also by the opportunity to build my experience in graphic design while earning a wage. I look forward to talking to more new people throughout the planning and marketing process, and most of all look forward to the event, for which I have high hopes!”
Hongyu An, 17 years old, from Sutton

"I joined this project to explore the world of event planning and to express my creativity in a meaningful way as I have been discovering my passion for working within creative fields. I've really enjoyed my time so far and can't wait to see the project come together in a way that has a positive impact on my local community." 
Calvien Ghimere, 17 years old, from Sutton

For more information about HAF, visit https://suttoninformationhub.org.uk/pages/HAF.