Swindon Advertiser Column: Summer Activities Fair Will Keep Everyone Entertained

When I was younger I loved the summer holidays.

I have so many happy memories of reading lots of books at night and spending all day with my friends in the park.

I was always busy doing something - playing cricket & trying to avoid smacking the ball into the road; racing around the park against my friends during a hot Olympic summer; and trying to re-create the goals we’d seen in the football.

Spending so much time doing these things kept me entertained and out of trouble (it also kept me out from under my mother’s feet which I’m sure all parents can appreciate from time to time!)

I’ve always believed it’s vital that children keep active over the summer, and don’t stay inside watching television all day or playing computer games - especially if the weather is as good as last summer!

Throughout my time as an MP, I’ve lobbied to make it easier and cheaper for young people to be able to stay active. That’s why I’ve continually pressed Ministers to provide more funding for sporting activities for young people. It’s also why I’ve campaigned hard to see school sports facilities opened up to the public & community groups, for free, in the evenings & over the holidays.

And so, as we approach the summer holiday, I have been busily preparing to host my annual Summer Activities Fair.

The event, on Saturday 20th July from 11am until 1pm at the Orbital Shopping Park, will be the third Summer Activities Fair I have hosted and aims to give parents, grandparent, and carers an idea of what activities there are across Swindon to keep the family entertained over the summer.

We have a bunch of fantastic organisations coming this year; from sport clubs and days out, to a theatre group and museum. Organisations already signed up include: Draycott Sports Camp, Swindon Libraries, and Rockstar Climbing.

I’m particularly pleased that the Swindon Library Service will be joining us again this year, and will be encouraging even more young people to sign up to the hugely successful Summer Reading Challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge is designed to encourage all primary-age children to use the school holidays to read for fun. Last year saw over three quarters of a million children borrowing, reading & talking about their favourite books, including 2,638 in Swindon.

This year’s theme, ‘Space Chase’, is very suitable for Swindon as our town is proudly home to the magnificent UK Space Agency.

All of the stalls will be handing out leaflets and information on their upcoming events – giving parents & carers a wide variety of what is on offer in Swindon over the summer. The Orbital Shopping Park has also kindly organised free face-painting for young people (and those who are young at heart!)

The fair is not just about the summer, I am hoping that youngsters might find a new hobby which they can then continue and develop as they grow up.

I have always promoted the importance of keeping children active and engaged all-year-round, and I am hoping that the youngsters who come to the fair will find something that they enjoy, and which will inspire them for many years to come.