Keeping the children entertained during the long school summer holidays doesn’t have to cost the earth, especially with Vodafone VeryMe rewards in your corner.
Filling your kids’ days during the long summer break, with no classes or after-school clubs to help, can fray your nerves and your wallet. The following tips and the VeryMe Rewards programme, available in the My Vodafone app, can help.
From discounts on popular attractions to free or low-cost diversions in your backyard, here’s some inspiration for you and your family.
Kids Pass: Edinburgh Zoo, Alton Towers, Legoland and much more
Kids Pass is probably the biggest discount service for families that you’ve never heard of. It gets you discounted entry to adrenaline-fuelled adventures such as Alton Towers and Go Ape, as well as more sedate experiences, such as Legoland and Edinburgh Zoo – the only zoo in the UK currently hosting giant pandas. These are just a few examples of the many venues on offer. Unsurprisingly, the level of discounting varies, as does the number of listed attractions in any given part of the country.
Vodafone Pay Monthly mobile and qualifying Pay As You Go customers can nab Kids Pass access codes by opening the My Vodafone app and tapping on the VeryMe button.
Two Vue cinema tickets for £7
If you and your family are tempted more by the bright lights of the big screen, then VeryMe can help here, too. Vodafone customers can claim two adult tickets for just £7, giving you a little more to spend on kids’ tickets and popcorn.
Museum of London Docklands
The capital is full of world-class museums that are free to visit (or free with the option to donate however much you can spare). One of the lesser-known but no less intriguing options is the Docklands outpost of the Museum of London. It brings to life the merchant trading, seafaring heritage of this part of London’s East End. It even has a full-size recreation of a Victorian-era Docklands street.
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Wellcome Collection
If your kids have a more scientific bent, or just have a nose for the medically arcane, then London’s Wellcome Collection is worth a look. Although a few of the rotating exhibitions aren’t free of charge, the majority of them are. Exhibitions change frequently, covering little-known areas such as our relationship with air and the medicinal use of plants.
Club Spark tennis sessions
If Wimbledon has sparked your kids’ interest in the world of tennis, then keep that fire burning with a Club Spark tennis lesson from the Lawn Tennis Association. Local tennis clubs across the country are working with the LTA to offer these sessions to budding ball whackers, subject to space. You can check to see if there’s a session running near where you live.
Find a local festival
While the big music festivals headlined by the household names get all the attention, there are a multitude of smaller music and arts festivals dotted all over the UK. While you can’t filter or search by price, Festival Flyer is still a useful guide to this summer’s festivals with the ability to narrow down your search by month or county.
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Ride a miniature railway
If your kids are besotted with locomotives, then a ride on a miniature railway could be just the ticket. A pair of websites, Britain’s Great Little Railways and Miniature Railway World, list the surprisingly large number of commercial and enthusiast-run tyke-friendly trains dotted across the UK. Some are unsurprisingly located in the countryside or near other attractions, which could come in handy if your kids haven’t run out of steam after their train ride.
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Visit your local fire station
Many local fire stations across the UK offer free behind-the-scenes tours during the summer months. This could be appealing whether your kids are fascinated by the blue light services or you just want to start sneakily drilling fire safety lessons into them. There’s no central directory of such free tours, so try asking your local council or Googling for your local fire station. If your children are especially keen, the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield could really fire up their imaginations.
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