Holiday camp struggling to meet demand from families

A quarter of parents said they would struggle to provide three meals a day for their children

A social enterprise that organises trips and meals for youngsters in the school holidays says it is struggling to keep up with demand for their services.

Bristol's Community of Purpose is now calling on local businesses to assist it to help every child that needs their support.

It comes after a recent survey suggests that around a quarter of parents in the South West would struggle to provide three meals a day this summer.

Three in 10 parents told the charity Action for Children that they worried their children would experience an "unhealthy holiday".

Community of Purpose, which is a not-for-profit social enterprise and employs five people, was founded by a brother and sister duo back in 2016. One of the founders, Amy Kington said that despite falling inflation many families were finding things difficult.

"What we found, particularly in south Bristol more recently, is that demand is outstripping what we can physically supply," she said.

"So every day we run our holiday camp, there are young people that will turn up to access this provision hoping that somebody doesn't turn up so that they can occupy their seat on the coach."

Amy Kington helps take children on trips to city centre attractions

During the summer holidays she helps to take young people on trips to city centre attractions and even arranges for meals in hotels to ensure they are properly fed.

They are currently supported by about 70 businesses and want to grow this to 100.

"The challenge that we face as community-minded activists is when we drive off, having not been able to take a young person on that coach, there's that knotted feeling in our tummies about what they're likely to experience that day," she said.

"So is that the day when you know they're in the wrong place at the wrong time or they get involved in things that you know really take them down a path that that you wouldn't want them to to to pursue?"

She added that for families already accessing food banks, to find money for additional days during the summer holidays "can put those that are finding things very difficult under enormous pressure".

Alice Woudhuysen said staff see "emotional and financial strain" on parents

UK Children's charity Action for Children recently spoke to 2,000 parents about the summer holidays.

Their responses showed 30% of parents in the region believe they will be financially worse off this summer compared to last year.

Balancing work and family life was a huge concern among the South West parents polled, with more than half (56%) concerned they will not be able to spend as much time together as a family due to work commitments.

More than a fifth (21%) reported planning to take time off work as unpaid leave or take time off sick to provide childcare.

Their head of campaigns and public affairs, Alice Woudhuysen, said the findings came as something of a surprise.

"We've witnessed falling inflation and sort of signs of economic growth but our frontline staff do tell us they see this every day," she said.

"So they see the financial and emotional strain the summer holidays can have on families, and particularly those on low incomes.

"Typically during the holidays parents have more mouths to feed, they have more clothes to wash and they don't get that essential support like free school meals that they get during term time.

"And also leisure activities tend to rise during the holidays, and parents have to juggle work and childcare."