Holiday Fun Story – Najma
Thanks to supporters like you, Najma and her children can relax and enjoy fun days out – without the worry of financial strain
Our Holiday Fun programme has had a transformative impact on Najma’s family, offering them a creative outlet, new opportunities, and a sense of community. Over the past five years, Najma and her children have developed greater confidence and creativity through our range of free activities, from arts and crafts, learning from local artists to fun movement sessions.
Najma has also rediscovered her own love of creativity, blending her background in literature with the artistic experiences shared with her children. Najma says: “Attending Holiday Fun, has encouraged my family to be more creative by having a go and giving things a chance even if the tasks are challenging.”
Discovering creativity and art with Holiday Fun programme
Najma and her family have been coming to Holiday Fun for five years, ever since her daughter Inez was six. Before they found out about Holiday Fun, things like painting, crafting, and visiting museums didn’t happen very often for them. This meant fewer chances to get creative and spend quality time together. That all changed with our Holiday Fun project! Our programme has made it easier for them try new things with art and creativity through free workshops and access to amazing free exhibitions at Firstsite.
Looking back, Najma shares, “Before Holiday Fun visits to arts and crafts and museums was quite limited but since coming to Holiday Fun, we’ve had more opportunities to do more classes and engage within the exhibitions that are exhibited here.”
Art has had a big impact on her children Inez and Zahil. It’s given them confidence and helped them discover new ways to express themselves. Najma says: “My children are more artistic, able to think creatively, they’re more practical, they like doing more practical things, whereas before it was more academic and reading books, so they’re a bit more confident in doing creative ideas and doing more artistic visions like collages, whereas previously they wouldn’t even consider that.”
Through creative activities, children like Inez and her brother are building essential life skills too. They’re learning resilience when art projects don’t go as planned, teamwork when they collaborate, and self-expression as they create.
“My children are more artistic, able to think creatively, they're more practical, they like doing more practical things"
A chance to create together
Holiday Fun isn’t just for the kids – it’s given mum Najma the chance to reconnect with her own creativity! “I am more confident in drawing and crafting and have incorporated these skills in my life such as cooking, decorating and gardening.”
For the whole family, having access to creative activities has brought a sense of connection and excitement to weekends and holidays. Art helps families escape the everyday, try something new, and enjoy quality time together. As Najma’s husband, Tariq, explains: “Sometimes during the weekend, the kids get bored. So, having activities like art, it will help. You would get them out of the house a little bit. Do a bit of creativity.”
"Sometimes during the weekend, the kids get bored. So, having activities like art, it will help. You would get them out of the house a little bit. Do a bit of creativity.”
Learning from local artists
One of the things Najma loves most about our Holiday Fun programme is how welcoming it is. Every child gets to go at their own pace and still feels included. “It’s very inclusive, so my daughter’s a bit more advanced, can do it, and my son, who’s learning, can do it, and that’s what I like about it.”
She also appreciates how much they’ve learned from local artists. “So, we get to meet and see their specialism and how they impart their knowledge and wisdom, and we get to learn from that. It’s really remarkable and I really appreciate what Firstsite has given us in respect to that.”
“[…] we get to meet and see their [local artists] specialism and how they impart their knowledge and wisdom, and we get to learn from that. It's really remarkable and I really appreciate what Firstsite has given us in respect to that.”
Skills and confidence that carry beyond our Holiday Fun programme
For Inez, the impact of Holiday Fun extends beyond the gallery. “Well, it helps me in school because before I was like, really bad at drawing but now I’m like really good at it thanks to Firstsite.”
Creative activities don’t just improve artistic skills – they build confidence, encourage problem-solving, and even reduce feelings of loneliness. Through art, children like Inez are finding ways to express themselves, connect with others, and develop skills that will stay with them for life.
Our Holiday Fun programme is all about discovering creativity, building confidence, and giving families a chance to connect through art. Whether it’s learning new skills, spending quality time together, or discovering new passions, it’s made a world of difference for Najma’s family – and we’re so happy to be part of their creative journey!
Your donation can help more families like Najma and her children
£22 can provide a child with a weekend of fun and inspiration at Holiday Fun, where they can enjoy two days full of art and movement activities and a nutritious hot meal each day.
Donate £22 between 3 -10 Dec and Big Give will double it so you can give two children a weekend of fun and creativity!
Please give whatever you can to help to support our Holiday Fun programme – providing free art, sport and meals over the winter weekends and school holidays to families facing financial challenges.
Have your donation doubled today