Hoping for happy summer holidays

Tomorrow marks the happiest day of the year for the vast majority of children, with the start of the summer holidays, and two long months of possibility and adventure.

And yet, even this freedom is no longer free from worry for an increasing number of parents as the spiralling costs of living means that days out and looking after the children full-time will add to their budgetary woes.

Over the last six months, the rising costs have been relentless: Whether it’s food, heating, electricity or petrol, the increases are hitting families hard and those in our communities are now being swallowed up in this wave of poverty, regardless of how many hours they are working and despite the cutbacks they are making.

For many, the summer holidays have already represented a more expensive time, with larger food consumption and also larger electricity bills.

The next eight weeks before the start of new school term will only add to the struggles being faced by some parents: But help is available. At the start of this month, the Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, announced a £12.6 million fund for the school holiday food grant scheme.

Starting tomorrow (Friday) and running to August 31, families of children entitled to free school meals will receive £13.50 per week for each entitled child.

It has also been encouraging to see a growth in the number of school uniform exchanges taking place in our schools, which means some families won’t have to shell out hundreds of pounds in August.

Unfortunately, these strained finances will mean fewer days out, and possibly no holidays away from home. But, as we learned during the pandemic, we are blessed with some fantastic local attractions and outdoor amenities in Tyrone, where many happy memories can be made – even if the weather is rubbish.