Islington Lunch Bunch

Holiday Activities & Food Programme

Our free spring, summer and winter holiday programme gives eligible young people the chance to enjoy a wide range of free activities with a healthy lunch.

Eligibility

This programme is free to Islington residents aged 4 to 16 years, enrolled in school who:

qualify for benefits-related Free School Meals (FSM) - please note that while all primary school children receive FSM, this does not mean your child qualifies for benefits-related FSM
can be referred by a social worker, family support worker or other professional.

Changes to eligibility and data in Plinth: Please note that there have been changes to our eligibility categories and we are no longer able to support children who have an Education Health Care Plan and are not meeting the benefits related FSM category. In addition, Plinth registration records have now been updated in line with school census data and our eligibility criteria as noted above. This may have changed your child’s status from eligible to non-eligible. This could be because your child is no longer within the age range, your child is no longer resident in the borough, your child does not receive benefits-related free school meals. If you need to discuss changes made to your Plinth record, please email: Lunch.Bunch@islington.gov.uk

If you would like to check your eligibility, to get more information or register for benefits related Free School Meals, please see our Free School Meals and Uniform Grant.

If you're not eligible for free places

If you are not eligible for free activities, there are some activities that are free to all such as adventure playgrounds and youth clubs. Other activities may only need a small payment. These activities are listed as 'fee paying'. If you do attend an activity that is part of our programme, everyone receives a free lunch.

How to book activities

If your child is registered

If your child is already registered, just log into your account. You can see what’s on and book activities when the booking system opens.

If your child is not registered

Create an account on Plinth.
Confirm your email address using the link sent to your email - if you register using a Google or Facebook account, you can skip this step.
Log in and register your child or children by completing the form. Please make sure the details you provide are correct as it may affect eligibility checks. Use the same name, address and date of birth details for your child that your child’s school has.

You will get an email saying you have registered. We will then start checking your child's eligibility. This is done every weekday between 9am and 5pm.

We will let you know by email if your child gets a free place. After that, you can start booking by logging into Plinth with the email address you used on the registration form.

Book activities

Once registered, you can search and book activities. During the spring holidays you can book up to four activities per child. More activities may be added to Plinth, so keep checking for updates. Bookings open Tuesday 12 March 2024 at 6pm.

Booking cancellations

If your child is no longer able to attend an activity, please let the activity provider know at least three days prior. Your support in giving as much notice as possible is important, as it could mean a child on a waiting list is able to have the place.

Failure to give fair notice in cancelling your child’s attendance, could mean the activity provider may not allow you to book with them in future.

Eligible young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Islington offers an inclusive programme and there are places for eligible young people with SEND, including some providers who are offering activities just for those with SEND. If your child is eligible and has SEND, it is important that you share the details about your child’s needs with the activity provider so they can confirm your child’s place and make reasonable adjustments.

Referring professionals

If you wish to refer a young person, you can either support the family or carer to register the young person on Plinth or you can register and book activities on their behalf. Please note, if your details are on Plinth, you will be the key contact for activity providers. If you are just supporting a family or young person to register, once they have registered, email us to let us know about your referral on lunch.bunch@islington.gov.uk.

Help

If you need help to get online, you can visit your local library.
Eligibility checks: If you have registered your child and are awaiting approval, please note that we do eligibility checks daily, Monday to Friday, and you will get an email when we've completed these. Please check your junk folder.
If you have technical issues with Plinth, please try the following:
Refresh your screen
Check your registration and ensure your child’s name and details are on the registration and not yours as the parent
Check you are using the correct email address.
If you still have an issue, please use the Plinth chat button to ask for help. The usual response time is around three minutes and if you cannot wait for a response, you will get an email reply about your problem.
If you need any other support please email: lunch.bunch@islington.gov.uk. We check this email inbox Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

Drop In Sessions for Support

Lunch Bunch will be running drop-in sessions to help families register or book activities on Plinth. You do not need to book for these sessions and support will be provided on a first come, come first served basis. There are six sessions available listed below:

Central Library (N5 1PF): Wednesday 13th, 20th and 27th March from 3.30pm to 5.00pm
Islington North Library (N7 6JX): Thursday 14th, 21st and 28th March 3.30pm to 5.00pm