Citypress wins StreetGames brief

National charity StreetGames has appointed Citypress as the lead marketing and communications advisor on its £8m Holiday Activities and Food Programme in Birmingham.

StreetGames creates positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people through sport, and, on behalf of Birmingham City Council, is delivering a programme of fun, engaging and enriching activities for five to 16 year-olds in Birmingham throughout the summer holidays.

Every child who attends each day will be given a free, nutritious meal to school food standards, will take part in at least one hour of physical exercise, and will have the opportunity to try a range of other activities from arts and crafts to sport, cooking, cinema trips and more.

The programme starts on 21 July for six weeks. To drive awareness and engagement ahead of and post-launch, the Citypress Birmingham team is responsible for brand development and execution – online, on social media and out-of-home – as well as paid social media and press office support.

Jenny Carter, programme director for Birmingham Holiday Activities, said: “While the summer holiday programme is open to all children in Birmingham, we wanted a local partner who really understands the city, to help us access those hard-to-reach families most in need of support.

“Citypress have demonstrated that they clearly understand the need for a targeted approach that will engage the local families with the most to gain – through their channel strategy, messaging and inclusive look and feel.”

Local authorities across the UK are running Holiday Activities and Food programmes throughout 2021, as part of a £220m initiative from the Department for Education. The programmes will provide local childcare solutions for parents in need, and will ensure no child has to go hungry outside of termtime.

With £8m in funding, Birmingham is running the most ambitious programme in the country – because the city is home to more vulnerable children than any other.

Citypress has significant experience in delivering community engagement programmes including Coca-Cola GB’s ParkLives campaign, British Land and The National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme.