This year, many of the wonderful Rotary Clubs who had been making this day possible for thousands of disadvantaged children every year since 1990, chose to hold their event on the traditional day (the second Wednesday of June). However many clubs have run their own day out on another suitable date, with some clubs still to hold theirs in the later part of the Summer.
Since the first National Rotary KidsOut Day, the event has turned into the biggest single outing for disadvantaged children in the UK. With more than 28,000 children participating in our last National Day Out in 2019, this year the National Day Out was attended by 17,179 disadvantaged children. This is a fantastic result considering many have only just got back on their feet with the residual effects of the pandemic still lingering. The day is only truly possible as it is run nationally in conjunction with the unwavering pioneers, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI).
To make the National Rotary KidsOut Day the success that it is, more than 10,000 Rotarians volunteer on the day at over 100 venues. Whether they live with critical health issues, in refuge or with a disability, disadvantaged children across the country are taken on a fun day out (whatever the weather!).
So far this year children have visited 80 different attractions and events, with some of the biggest outings taking place (in order of highest attendance) at Chessington World of Adventures (2,230 children), Wicksteed Park (1,551 children), Aldershot Army Rugby Ground (1,157 children), Longleat Safari Park (972 children) and Drayton Manor Theme Park (738 children).
Whatever the numbers of children on the day, they certainly had the most wonderful valuable and positive experiences, many children having not been on a day out since 2019. The experiences had across the UK were extremely varied and included trips to the beach, zoos, theme parks, and even sailing.
“Five stars” (Male 8)
“It was a really fun place and there’s lot of activities to do” (Male, age 10)
“Exciting, happy and wet because of the water ride it was fun we went on twice” (Male, age 8)
“Good, I liked the ship and went on it three times it was fun” (Female, age 10)
“I liked all the scary rides” (Female, age 8)
Victoria Lynn, managing director of Drayton Manor Resort, said: “We were thrilled to welcome an amazing group of children to the resort for the annual Big Day Out.”
“We believe children from all walks of life should be given the opportunity to make memories to cherish forever, which is why we’re so proud to partner with KidsOut and Rotary once again for the Big Day Out initiative.”
“Giving young people the chance to enjoy fun-filled experiences is incredibly important to us, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more children to the resort next year.”
KidsOut would like to extend our thanks to all the Rotary volunteers for making the day such a huge success. Finally, a big thank you to all the attraction/event providers who hosted the hundreds of trips around the UK. Without your support we could not have provided fun and happiness to as many children after a difficult few years.
We are always keen to expand the National Rotary KidsOut Day even further. If you would like to offer a venue or facility for the day email us at [email protected] or call 01525 385252.
