We?re really pleased to announce today that close to 18,000 Nottingham children will benefit from free holiday activity clubs this summer.

The council is using ?1.8m of money from the Government?s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to support pupils who receive free school meals.

At the clubs, children will receive a free lunch as part of a scheme which focuses on fun, fitness, healthy eating and mental health.

Led by Nottingham Forest Community Trust, they will be delivered by community groups, charities and schools. Find out more

I was delighted to hear that Active Nottingham did so well at last night?s UK Active awards, especially considering it was the first time the team had entered these awards. Highlights include:

• Charmaine Daley, who is part of This Girl Can Nottingham, won the Physical Activity Hero Award
• Active Nottingham were awarded Highly Commended for the Activation Award, which recognises organisations which run events to inspire and encourage people to be more active
• Harvey Hadden Sports Village was a Finalist for Regional Club of the Year.

Find out more about the Active Nottingham?s night here and for details on how to join Active Nottingham, head over to?www.activenottingham.com/BeYourBest

Today sees the start of a new way of joining up health and care services in our city with the launch of the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board. This will see hospitals, GPs and community services working more closely together to improve people?s health as well as treat illnesses.

This is a really important move. For the first time there will be a single place where the NHS and councils can all come together to agree a strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in Nottingham.

As Chair of the Nottingham City Health and Wellbeing Board, I know how important partnership work is. We also proved during Covid that the council works well with the NHS and we can provide better care for our citizens when we are closer together. We still have a way to go, but this is a significant step forward on the way to ensuring that people in Nottingham get the best care from their NHS and council. You can read more about the Integrated Care Board here.

Health and wellbeing is about more than just good services provided by the NHS and City Council? we need you to play your part too. You can help us by making sure you continue to protect yourself from illnesses like Covid. The virus is still circulating around the country. Please keep yourself safe. Vaccinations are still available and can be booked online here.