Summer fun in Islington

Every young person and family in Islington deserves to have a fun, happy and safe summer break. It should be a time to enjoy the good weather (we hope!), play with friends and take advantage of our borough’s great outdoors and green spaces.

But we know that school summer holidays can be tough for many local people; parents and carers faced with the challenge of keeping their children engaged, safe and fed each day while perhaps having to reduce their hours at work for several weeks, piling further pressure on family finances already near breaking point in this cost of living crisis.

We’re determined to make Islington a more equal place, and so once again this holiday we’re providing places to go and things to do throughout the holidays, bringing together hundreds of free or low-cost, fun and educational activities for all ages to help make one amazing summer for our children and young people – from toddlers to teenagers.

We’re only halfway through the summer break, so there’s still plenty of time to discover what’s on offer near you – and we’ve made it easy by putting them all in one place, at islington.gov.uk/SummerFun.

There you’ll find something to suit all interests and ages, from sport and physical activity to arts and crafts to CV-boosting workshops. There are also more details about our Lunch Bunch programme that offers free activities with a healthy lunch for those registered for free school meals, as well as a range of activities specifically for children with special educational needs and disabilities. 

We have a variety of stay and play sessions indoors and outdoors for the under-5s and adventure playgrounds, bikeability courses and swimming lessons for the under-13s – plus the Summer Reading Challenge and much more in our brilliant libraries.

There are loads of fun, free activities available for young people in our Summerversity and Lunch Bunch programmes – including swimming lessons, content creation, tennis, cycling, theatre performance, circus skills, a girls football camp and family cooking courses between them. Our amazing youth hubs allow young people to discover new interests, make friends and access services.

Meanwhile, Launchpad helps those aged 16 and up get ready for that next step with workshops and courses that will perk up CVs and prepare them for work, careers and further education.

This is a time for fun, sun and excitement, so I want you to know that we are on the side of local families, looking to make the break the best time possible for young people. Head to islington.gov.uk/SummerFun – be sure to register as many activities need to be booked in advance.

This article first appeared in the Islington Gazette on 10 August, 2023