Summer camp helps Doncaster children return to outside play

The Active Fusion Summer Camps are part of the Doncaster Council’s summer staycation programme.

They have enabled children in the borough to return to a sense of normality by playing and exercising outside.

Kurt Lindley, owns Be More Learning and Development and is a single parent.

He says he has seen his seven-year-old daughter Ellie Rose Lindley regain her confidence and desire to be around other children again, something which he is more than thankful for.

He said: “I really needed to see Ellie be a child again, play with children her own age, make new friends, and just be a kid again.

“I’ve seen a return of the adventure look in her eye and the desire to be with her peers is strong.”

As a business owner, Kurt has had more on his plate than ever.

Balancing his organisation with the needs of his child has left him exhausted at times, but said the camps have been beneficial for both of them.

He said: “Ellie probably just needed a break from me, we are a solo family.

“For much of lockdown, it’s just been us two.

“Also, Ellie is an adventurer and craves active environments, if she’s not climbing trees, she is sliding down banks.

The summer camps have engaged with 431 children across Doncaster so far.

Even though the Summer of 2020 has been de-railed by Covid-19 there have still been exciting activities for children taking place.

Kurt said: “We have both had breathing space from each other which is really important for us to be able to maintain a healthy ‘father-daughter’ relationship.

“It’s not easy as a solo parent, but these camps have provided Ellie with a natural outlet for her and they have provided me with a break from the hardest job in the world – to be a present parent.”

He said: “I need to pay the bills and as a self-employed business person in the learning and development sector, who relies on face to face events to generate income, COVID had taken its toll.”

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