Lottery to fund Holiday camps

Twenty thousand young people in England will take part in
US-style summer camps next year thanks to a £12.5m lottery
grant.

The Big Lottery Fund is to fund a big extension of the
government-initiated programme to send young people on structured
residential camps.

This year, 2,500 11 to 17 year olds will be taking part in the
10-day camps, which promise a broad range of activities from
canoeing to dance to camping in the mountains. The programme,
called Get Real, was piloted last year in three areas of the
country.

The camps are run by established private sector holiday
companies including Outward Bound and PGL. The Big Lottery Fund
will now provide £500 per participant. Parents on means-tested
benefits will pay £25 for the camps, and others will pay
£100.

School standards minister David Miliband said at the launch of
this summer’s programme, “Residential summer camp experiences
can raise standards, increase participation and develop the life
skills of our young people. I would like to see every pupil in
England benefit from a summer camp experience during their school
career.”