The government has lauched it’s new Great British Summer Savings scheme in a bid to help parents struggling with the burden of entertaining the kids throughout the six-week summer break from school
With the school summer holidays on the horizon it can be a daunting time for parents. Not only do you need to keep the children occupied for six weeks, there’s also the worry of childcare costs when it comes to younger kids.
One mum, however, has urged all her fellow parents to take advantage of the government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, which she says could save you hundreds of pounds, particularly on days out and travel.
“School holidays don’t have to cost a fortune,” Hannah said. “If you’ve been worrying about how you’re going to keep the kids entertained over the summer without blowing the budget, this is definitely worth a watch. There are some genuinely helpful savings available this year that a lot of families don’t even know exist yet.”
Hannah proceeded to list every way parents can benefit from the scheme once the schools break up.
Free bus travel around England
“From August 1 to 31, all buses all children aged five to 15 can travel on participating bus services completely free – and this is all across England,” she revealed. No advance tickets or sign-ups are necessary. “Just hop on a bus and go,” Hannah added.
Theme Parks
Participating parks include Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Alton Towers and Lego Land – all of whom are offering discounted tickets as part of the Summer Savings Scheme. “That means the VAT was at 20 per cent, but this has been reduced to 5 per cent on all tickets throughout the summer holidays,” Hannah advised.
Cinema
“The cinema is basically doing the same thing,” she continued. “For any family-friendly films, you can get lower ticket prices, which hopefully will reduce the amount you spend when you go to the cinema because we all know it can be pretty expensive.”
As a disclaimer, meanwhile, Hannah thought it necessary to point out that the scheme does not cover popcorn, food and drinks. “To make it cheaper you are allowed to take your own snacks,” she advised. “Whilst it might seem taboo, you are allowed to do that and staff won’t take anything off you.”
Eating out
Many local and chain restaurants are part of the scheme too, Hannah went on to add, many of whom have a variety offers available. “There are loads of places you can go,” she enthused. “There’s kids-eat-free meals and cheaper meals that are just £1 as long as you pay for an adult as well.”
Hannah closed by summarised: “The best way to find something to help you is to go on to the Great British Summer Savings website, which is a government website that allows you to pop your postcode in and will tell you all the local attractions and places that are included in the scheme.”
All families need to do is follow these easy steps online:
- Search https://summersavings.gov.uk
- Enter your postcode
- Adjust the dial to select how far you want to travel from home
- Optionally search by type of attraction or food offers you are looking for
- Click the ‘Find offers’ button
- See a list of businesses in your areas offering discounts and their location on the map
- When you see a restaurant or attraction that’s best for your family, all you need to do is book a table or buy a ticket as you usually would and your discount is automatically taken off your price.
In total, over 1,700 businesses’ offers can be found on the website and the Government is engaging daily with businesses not yet participating in the Great British Summer Savings website to encourage them to join.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said of the scheme: “Thanks to our tax cuts, families will be able to enjoy more of the little treats and days out that make the British summer holidays so special.
“Our new website will make it easier for them to take advantage of Great British Summer Savings and help afford the moments that matter. That’s alongside the wider action we’re taking to cut household energy bills and boost working people’s wages by hundreds of pounds.”
