‘Forgotten about’ Lurgan parents rely on £20 summer scheme

“Forgotten about” parents are calling for more financial support for children’s activities during the summer months.

It comes as research by Ulster University suggests more parents are cutting back on children’s sports due to the rising cost of living.

A number of parents whose children attend Clann Éireann summer scheme in Lurgan, County Armagh, spoke to BBC News NI.

It costs just £20 a week and is able to keep costs low as it is run mainly by volunteers.

Seana McConville, who volunteers at smaller sessions in the club that are adapted for children with additional needs, like her son, said if her child was going into childcare over the summer she would have to pay for one-to-one support for him.

She said families like hers were “forgotten about”.

“I’m a full-time worker and every other year I would have to work term time, which is less money throughout the year in order to be able to take off the summer,” she said.

“But that’s not good for me or my son, because we are then tied to just being in the house.

“I miss the social side of being at work and the rest of the year you can struggle because your wages are less.”

The Clann Éireann summer scheme runs for two weeks and this year 180 children are attending.

Avoureen Coleman has worked at the club for 30 years and is a classroom assistant at the local school.

She said it was a lifeline for many parents.

“We know people are trying to cut corners on food, clothes, for basic toiletries, that’s the way it’s going, like back in your mummy’s day nearly,” she told BBC News NI.

Ulster University surveyed 855 parents.

The research suggested 37% of parents reduced spending on sports and 35% said their child had missed out because they could not afford it.

It also found 30% of parents were unable to afford clothing and equipment needed for sports.

Healthcare Science lecturer at Ulster University, Maria O’Kane, said at this time of the year researchers heard a lot about the cost of school uniforms and PE kits as families were beginning to budget for them ahead of the new school year.

“Maybe it comes at the sacrifice of a family holiday or a family day out,” she said.

“We heard in the interviews even going for an ice-cream is a luxury they just couldn’t afford any more.”

Mum-of-six Natalie Geoghegan said the sharing of Gaelic kits at Clann Éireann helps keep costs down.

“With football, you need the latest kit, but with this gear, it’s not the latest – one from four to five years ago is just the same, you’ve got the badge and you’re part of the group,” she said.

For her family, holidays are a luxury that do not happen every year.

“You like to try and get away because life is hard and you like to get away in the summer, but you have to cut back in general on things like clothes and [use] hand me-downs,” she said.

“When they’re in school all year, there’s a routine. I’m lucky I’m at home – I’m not working – but for me to entertain them in the house and run the house, it’s mundane for them for me to try and do everything.”

While Clann Éireann is proving to be an affordable option for these parents, Maria O’Kane said summer schemes do not always suit working families as the hours can be quite short and they can be expensive.

“That puts another pressure on families if their child is expected to attend,” she added.

Single mum Nicola Fagan said she felt many parents were “left in limbo” over the summer.

“Not everyone has grandparents or family who are going to cater to your needs,” she said.

She works overtime to save for the summer months and her children’s many activities.

“I try my best to make ends meet so they can get to everything they want to do and their friends are involved in,” she said.

“It’s a whole lot of pressure because you don’t want them missing out on anything that everybody else is doing.

“I come last all the time and I wouldn’t have it any other way, because you aren’t going to have your kids for a very long time when they are small so as long as they are happy I can do without for another couple of years.”

She said the summer scheme had given her children opportunities and day trips that they would otherwise not have had.

“It would have been an anxiety for me over how much it would be and what you are going to have to cut back on,” she said.

“Or are you going to be caught out in a week’s time thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have spent that money because I need diesel in the car or extra electric because Finnian hasn’t turned off his PlayStation overnight?’

“It’s stuff like that you need to think about when it comes to money and cost of living.”

The survey also suggested that more limited disposable income would mean siblings had different opportunities.

That is the case for Claire King who said: “From my older child to my younger child, he doesn’t get as many days to soft play areas or trips to the zoo, things like that.

“Between camps, feeding them, childcare costs – they’ve all gone up in prices, so it is definitely more expensive than it has been in the past.”