Viacheslav (known as Slava to all his friends) is one special child. A refugee from Ukraine, his family moved to North Yorkshire to escape the war and seek refuge. His is a true story of perseverance and strength. 

That’s why what Slava did next is even more inspiring. 

This Easter, Slava attended FEAST activities at Nigel Carson Sports School (NCSS) in Scarborough. At NCSS, a different child is given the Fitbit each day and they have to try and get as many steps as possible. The day before, the young person wearing the watch had set a new record at 30,000 steps. Slava was determined to keep up with this record – if not beat it! When his mum came to collect him, Slava had recorded 29,560 steps. With his typical ‘never give up’ attitude’, he did some laps of the playground and went home with over 30,000 – setting a new record. What an inspiration!  

Thanks to FEAST, many Ukrainian children had a special Easter holiday half term this year. FEAST is a scheme funded by the Department of Education and delivered here by North Yorkshire Together. It provides funding for organisations to offer free holiday activities and meals for children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. The scheme has been a huge boost for many families, including Ukrainian refugees, who are struggling with the cost of living crisis or need a bit of extra support. FEAST helps ensure that all children can access healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays. 

North Yorkshire Together strategic director Max May said “Slava is an inspiration to us all to stay active, creative and connected – and with a great big smile on our face while doing so! I can’t wait to hear how he gets on at our Summer FEAST activities. Perhaps he’ll set a new record – with NCSS or some of the many other free holiday activities we have taking place all across North Yorkshire.”