BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

[Legal Beagles]

One in five families in England will be unable to afford a trip to the seaside this bank holiday, says Barnardo’s. The charity calculates a “no frills seaside trip” could cost a family with two children as much as £170, depending on where they live. It wants the government to “act urgently” to boost the […]

More...

[Crazy council]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

If you can put good food on there table, a stable roof over there heads, and be loving, caring and considerate parents. Kids don't miss out on anything. ,

Money, trips, holidays, presents can lead to good times and experiences with your kids,, But its the time and effort you put into your kids that builds them into people.

Repoert like the above really get up my nose, its like, " hay you, you can t afford to take your kids to the see side so you must not be a good parent ". The media and public organisations look for lines to draw, witholut thinkin g on the other side of that line, can be very good parents.

Poor to me, is not about money, its about effort. and reports like above just encourage parents to borrow to live up to standards.... especially in the middle of summer hols. ..

Not arguing about money over bills becuase you didnt take out a loan to take your kids on a holdiay you could not afford, instaed spending some quality time around your local parks with your kids, cost free apart from pre prepard dinner. is the type of advice banardoes should be preaching·

[Kati]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

If you can put good food on there table, a stable roof over there heads, and be loving, caring and considerate parents. Kids don't miss out on anything. ,

Money, trips, holidays, presents can lead to good times and experiences with your kids,, But its the time and effort you put into your kids that builds them into people·

We quite often go on long walks with our kids ... a picnic in the countryside usually ends up being an impromptu lesson (edible plants/wildlife/weather/geography/history all have been been discussed due to spotting something while out and about). We've climbed trees, made rafts out of anything we've found, had barbecues on the river bank - and enjoyed every second of it

[Crazy council]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

We quite often go on long walks with our kids ... a picnic in the countryside usually ends up being an impromptu lesson (edible plants/wildlife/weather/geography/history all have been been discussed due to spotting something while out and about). We've climbed trees, made rafts out of anything we've found, had barbecues on the river bank - and enjoyed every second of it

100% with that Kat. me and my older kids have ace memory's of the stupid funny things we used to do, ( scrumping and bakeing the finds this time of year ). once the bills and food were paid each month, trees were our climing frames, open fields were our picnic areas. We even used to have sunflower races each nyear, see whos could get the highest.

There is to much enphasis on spend to entertain you kids, when its quality time that really benefits them, regardless if thats in a made up tents in your back garden ( telling spooky ghost stories lol ) , or a holiday in the sun. Its about the time you spend with them, not the money you spend on them.

[PAWS]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

Who spends £170 in one day at the beach! :confused2:
OK, I do not have kids but I have nieces and nephews and when we went to the beach with them they were only interested in splashing about, sand castles and flinging seaweed and jelly fish at each other. If you pack a picnic, go to a quiet beach that does not have any arcades, amusements or such tempting palaver and free parking nearby you can have a great time for the price of the petrol /bus fare!:whoo:
I grew up a long way from the sea and never got to the beach as a kid (not because my parents were skint but because they were ars*****s)but like the people above we had a great time at the nearby river, in the fields and doing all the brilliant fun things which nowadays would break every health and safety law going.:hand: Perhaps I am a psychologist’s wet dream but I thought I had a fantastic childhood even though we never, ever, went on holidays to the beach.

[Amethyst]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

It's mainly the getting there issue Paws xx

[Kati]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

checking rail fares online - the cheapest train tickets to get my family from our nearest rail station to Whitby for a day-trip are £60.90 for an "anytime day return" or £45.90 each way for the cheapest "single tickets". If you added to this food costs (for the journey AND while there) we would definitely be looking at £100+ at a bare minimum.

I think I'll stick to country walks and tree climbing

[PAWS]

Re: BBC News – Trip to beach ‘a pipe dream’ for poorest families

It's mainly the getting there issue Paws xx

Good point, but If they can get out at all then a cost of £170 should not put them off or they could do stuff that kids enjoy that cost little or nothing and would ensure they did not feel deprived just because they don’t get to the sea side.
I think many issues of what some consider depravation are often relative. i.e it is not that kids are upset because they cannot go to the beach; they are upset because all their friends and school mates are going. I went to school with a girl whose family always went to Spain for their holidays (going back to when this was an amazing thing!) She actually confessed that she would rather have built dens, caught frogs and had death defying episodes up tall trees and added that watching a bull fight was no match for the tale of ‘the day we were chased by the big bull in Lawler’s field!’ Not forgetting the 'all day long' ball games. I in turn seriously envied my cousin who lived in a city.She lived within walking distance of real swings and a slide –not a tyre on a rope and a rough plank strapped to a fence and her friends did not live 3 miles away. I would love to ramble on about no kid’s telly or computer games but I already look like my mother and I am trying to avoid sounding like her to boot!