A new study has revealed that 84% of parents in London believe there aren’t enough low-cost activities available for children during the summer holidays, leading to more children spending fewer hours outside.
In research commissioned by Great British Racing for its ‘Under 18s Race Free’ campaign, it was found that parents in the capital are becoming increasingly concerned with the sedentary lifestyle of their children, with 91% of parents wanting their children to spend more time outdoors during the school holidays.
The majority of outdoor activities on offer, however, are considered to be too expensive, with live sporting events highlighted as being particularly pricey: 76% of parents have been put off taking their children to live sport because of the cost of the ticket, while 52% of parents surveyed do not take their children to live sport at all.
Great British Racing ambassador, and parent of two, Tess Daly commented, “As a parent, the school holidays provide the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your children, yet finding activities that are stimulating, healthy and affordable can be a challenge. As a child my parents went out of their way to take me to live sport and I do the same for my kids now – there’s nothing better than a day at the races. As well as the thrill of the racing, the kids are able to run around in the fresh air and there are plenty of activities for them too, from having their faces painted to meeting race horses.”
Tess recently visited a racehorse training yard to see the preparation that goes into getting horses ready for the races. You can watch this here. It is available to embed below.
Tess is promoting Great British Racing’s unique ‘Under 18s Race Free’ offering[1] through which accompanied under 18s are admitted free of charge to the vast majority of fixtures at Britain’s 60 racecourses throughout the year. There are six racecourses all within an hour of the capital - Ascot, Epsom Downs, Lingfield Park; Kempton Park; Sandown Park and Windsor – which are hosting a combined 48 fixtures over the summer holidays including a number of special family days.
Ascot and Epsom will both host five race meetings during the summer, including dedicated Family Fundays on 13thJuly and 26thAugust respectively, which will feature additional activities put on for families and young people including, face painting, fairground rides, pony rides and much more.
Windsor will host 10 race meetings including an Ice Cream themed meeting for families on 11th August and Lingfield will host 13 race meetings over the summer including a Dinotastic day for children on 15th August.
Toby Shaw, Director of Communications & Marketing at Great British Racing, said: “Racing remains one of Britain’s most popular spectator sports, with millions enjoying the excitement of race meetings each year. At Great British Racing, we want to introduce more youngsters to the thrill of the sport: London’s six courses alone will be hosting 33 fixtures over the summer, each of which with a dedicated family day. Our ‘Under 18s Race Free’ campaign provides an unforgettable day out in the fresh air for the whole family, without having to break the bank, and all within easy reach of the city.”
As well as unmissable action on the track, racecourses provide a range of free experiences for under 18s including pony rides, the chance to meet a racehorse and fairground attractions, making it a great and affordable day out for all the family.
Find your local family race day at under18sracefree.com
