Thousands of children benefit from free Sportscool holiday clubs

A specialist provider of sports education for primary schools delivered free Easter clubs for more than 7,300 children through the government-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

Rishton headquartered SportsCool, which offers a diverse range of activities, organised the holiday clubs in 15 towns and cities across England, from Newcastle to south east London.

The Department for Education scheme has been set up to provide nutritious meals and rewarding activities during school breaks and is helping many families, including some who might otherwise struggle with the extra cost of food and childcare.

SportsCool currently has 28 operations across the UK, working closely with more than 400 education providers. All its activities are underpinned by the company’s ethos of “Educate: Motivate: Participate”.

It worked in partnership with local authorities to deliver the holiday clubs. Director Lee Lysons said: “Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families.

“The HAF programme is a response to this issue, with evidence showing that free holiday clubs can have a positive impact on children and young people, helping tackle problems such as social isolation.

“At SportsCool we firmly believe that sports education is fundamental to every child’s development and that is central to the HAF programme activities we deliver.

“We also believe that every child should have the chance to participate, progress and achieve in physical activities.

“This in turn has a profound effect on self-esteem, confidence, motivation, physical aptitude, and all-round mental and physical health.

“With that thinking central to the programme, we’ve worked hard with a number of councils to set up HAF holiday clubs that provide young people with a wide range of fun activities.

“They have been extremely well received by the youngsters and their parents and guardians, with 7,390 children attending our Easter holiday sessions, which were organised by 15 of our operations across England.

“We use positive rewards in everything that we do, our sessions raise aspirations, are accessible to all, and, most of all, they are fun.

“As a result, we see the youngsters blossom into confident, healthy and aspiring individuals.”

Last October the government announced a further investment of over £200million a year over the next three financial years for the HAF programme, following the successful roll out of the programme across England in 2021.

Last summer (2021) alone, almost three-quarters of a million children benefitted from fun activities and healthy food through the HAF programme.

SportsCool, which was founded in Blackburn, is looking to open another 20 operations over the next 12 months.

It offers schools a diverse range of sports, from fencing and archery to ultimate frisbee and tri-golf, plus many more.

The business was founded by sports coaches Lee Lysons, Matt Parker and Andy Preston.

As well as Blackburn, in the North West it has branches in Bolton, Fylde, Preston, Bury and Cheshire East.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Lancashire Business View

Latest news

1

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes Royal Bowland Park street scene NEW.jpg.jpg

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes

29 Oct 2025

2

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth - Representatives from the University's Business School, local SMEs and the IOEE

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth

29 Oct 2025

3

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

4

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

5

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event
Holiday Inn Hotel
Networking
19 Nov 2025

November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event

Holiday Inn, Blackpool

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

The AI Lab: E-commerce
Ai Lab ecommerce (1).png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
14 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

The AI Lab: E-commerce

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin