In July this year (2022) EMC's Operations Manager Craig O’Brien completed the physical challenge called the Fan Dance, an event run by ex special forces, simulating a special forces selection process up and over Pen Y Fan.
He raised an incredible £2,000 for Community Of Purpose (COP), with this being directed specifically for the Break Free program. Break Free is a holiday activity programme that targets holiday hunger by providing high quality activities and free food for children aged 8 – 13 from areas across the most needy in South Bristol.
Children get free meals in term time, but in the holidays go hungry. Rather than looking forward to the school holidays, the holidays have become for many a stressful time, when families who already struggle find it even harder to provide. COP has partnered with lots of supportive local businesses to deliver a range of fun sports activities for children in the most deprived areas of Bristol. To help tackle the very real issue of holiday hunger, every young person that attends the Break Free programme is provided with breakfast and lunch to ensure they get at least two meals throughout the day.
The aim of the programme is that young people can break free from having nothing to do, break free from their screens and their homes, and also break free from being hungry during the school holidays. This is done through sports, arts, music and drama, with staff from the local area that have an understanding of the issues. Launched in 2019, Break Free is based on years of working in communities in South Bristol. The programme works with well-known partners in Bristol such as Boston Tea Party, Arthur David and Hobbs House Bakery also donate resource and food – helping to combat food poverty among children in Bristol.
Break Free is one of three key initiatives run by COP – a CIC, based in South Bristol that works to transform the lives and futures of young people across Bristol.
Find out more about Break Free.
