St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington named South East regional winner of the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) awards

LYMINGTON’S St Barbe Museum has won a government award for its “exemplary” workshops for children.

Nominated by the county council, the museum and art gallery in New Street was named this year’s South East regional winner of the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) awards.

St Barbe’s HAF programme was recognised for “exemplary practices in building effective local partnerships, supporting communities, and providing vital assistance to parents and carers” during the 2023 programme.

Youngsters tried their hands at a range of activities including street art, woodland crafts, sewing, sailing, theatre workshops and special effects makeup sessions – each paired with a wholesome meal.

A spokesperson for the museum said: “Our involvement with HAF began after our director Maria Ragan heard about its early trial stages.

“A mother’s poignant words stuck with us, ‘Why would I send my son to a holiday club when he is already hungry, for him to run around and come home even more hungry?’.

“This inspired us to take action, creating a programme tailored to the needs of families in our community, blending enriching activities with the provision of nutritious hot meals.”

On their award, the spokesperson added: “As regional winners, our team attended the HAF 2024 awards ceremony at the House of Commons’ terrace pavilion, where we had the opportunity to connect with other providers and celebrate the transformative impact of the HAF initiative.

“St Barbe is proud to stand out as one of the few providers offering arts and culture-based activities, complementing the predominantly sports-focused offerings of many others.”

They said their success would not have been possible without the “incredible support” of more than 50 local businesses and individuals.

St Barbe is committed to continuing the HAF programme every school holiday, with the “hopes that government funding for this vital initiative remains available”.

Anyone who would like to get involved by offering to run an HAF activity, or making a donation, can email maria.ragan@stbarbe-museum.org.uk