GET RID OF YOUR BRATS (PGL Adventure Holidays)

Member Name: kittykat18

Product:	PGL Adventure Holidays
Date:	09/08/02 (4470 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives young people independence, fun and safe activities, well organised

Disadvantages: I can't think of any.

Don't the summer holidays seem to last a long, long time? Those six weeks drag on, and on. I used to get very fed up (I still do actually) with all that time and nothing to do. The initial excitement at not having to go to school quickly wears off, and the realisation that you have no money and everyone else you know is swanning off to Florida or Italy can be hard to take. Kids get fed up, bored, and spend days in front of the telly or hanging around the streets getting up to mischief. Tired parents are annoyed at their lazy, ungrateful children. Things are reaching crisis point..

There is a solution. Pack your brats off to summer camp. It's relatively cheap, they'll get lots of fresh air, meet lots of new people, and gives parents a much needed rest.

PGL (named after the founder, Peter Gordon Lawrence, although guests prefer the snappier "Parents Get Lost") is the UK's biggest adventure holiday provider for young people. They are based in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, and own centres in England, Wales, Scotland, France and Spain, as well as running holidays to ski resorts (staying in hotels). PGL has been running for over 25 years and the first centre was a camp site in Herefordshire, now Court Farm.

Today they provide holidays for school and youth groups in term times, and individual young people (known affectionately (*ahem*) as "indies") in holidays (summer, Easter and half term). In this review I will concentrate on the independent holidays- if your child is going on a PGL holiday with school, much of this information is relevant but the school will be a lot more involved with the details.

The traditional PGL holiday is based around outdoor activities and watersports, but there are also a huge number of specialist holidays on offer, from "Horses for Courses" (horseriding), "Stagestruck" (drama), Driving, Cycling, Watersports, and lots, lots more that I can?t possibly go
into. Basically, if your child is mad about one particular sport or activity, check out the PGL website (www.pgl.co.uk) or get a brochure and see what's available. The good thing about the specialist holidays is that in the vast majority of them, whilst spending most of their time doing the one chosen activity, the kids also get the chance to try a few of the other activity sessions in the afternoons or evenings. For example, the children on Horses for Courses spend all day riding and grooming, but on two nights in the week, they have a go at motorsports and archery.

PGL centres range from the basic (all guests and staff in tents, canteen and bathrooms in wooden buildings) to the varied (guests have a choice of tents, caravans or chalets) to the luxurious. Prices range alongside the choice of centre (tented being the cheapest) and choice of holiday (in general, the specialist holidays are more expensive). Centres in the UK include several in and around the Brecon Beacons, the Wye Valley, one near the beach in Devon, and others near Oxford, Shropshire and Blackpool. The showcase PGL centre is Borreatan Park, which is also where staff training courses for group leaders and instructors takes place.

How do I know so much about PGL, and what makes me qualified to write an opinion about it? After all, I'm not a parent (yet!) and have never sent my little darlings off to camp. But I have been a guest of PGL (to Court Farm when I was 14) and was also a staff member in 2001. So you could say I have seen it from both sides, as a guest and from the inside. I have a good idea about how it works and what its like.

Choosing to send your children on an activity holiday, and with which company, is a big decision. Besides the expense, there are safety and social concerns that a parent will consider. PGL takes young people from the ages of 6-18. While the parents of younger children will be worries are likely to be

"how will littl
e Kylie cope away from home for the first time?" or

"Barry's such a fussy eater, he will hate it", the parents of a 15 year old girl may be more concerned with
"what if she gets into smoking?" and
"what if she comes back pregnant after a midnight tent dash?"

Stress no more, be calm, for I am here to answer all your worries. However, if you are already gripped by the idea of getting rid of your little ones, feel free to skip to the end!

----Staff-----

PGL take on thousands of seasonal staff every year to work in their centres in roles like group leader, activity instructor, cooks and nurses. So how can you be sure that these staff are up to the job of looking after your precious ones every need? Well, for a start, the application forms are very thorough. All staff need two good references and are police checked (compulsory for jobs involving children). Any offences, however minor, must be declared explained in a letter. Most staff are aged between 18 and 30, and are a mixture of British, American and Australian as well as European (although most speakers of other languages work in the kitchen or domestic side of things). Some of the staff are keen to have careers in childcare or sports coaching, while others are gap year students or just looking for something different to do.

For members of staff dealing directly with the children, in supervisory or instructory roles, there is a two week residential training course. Group leaders are taught about a wide variety of issues, including health and safety, first aid, confidentiality, games and songs, dealing with problems and declarations of abuse. Instructors are taught the correct procedures for teaching the activities. Water sports insturctors must have specific qualifications. This course must be successfully completed before assignment to a camp. Once on a camp, each member of staff has a senior to report to, who meets th
em for regular progress meetings and ongoing training. Instructors have to pass tests on a one to one basis on each of the activities, so they won't be chucking little Kylie off a zip wire willy nilly. Safety is taken very seriously and while I was working at PGL the worst injuries I heard of were cuts and bruises, usually from kids mucking about!

Each centre has a centre manager who is in "loco parentis" for all children on the camp. This is the person who is ultimately responsible for your child, who will tell him off if he has been particularly naughty, and is in charge of everyone and everything that happens on camp. At the start of each holiday, the centre manager will do a welcome talk for all of the children, introducing themselves and the camp and some basic rules. The centre manager where I worked was excellent, very approachable and firm but fair (he only sent two children home in the season, as far as I know..)

Once your child has arrived on camp, they will be placed into a group (done by age, with an equal mix of boys and girls if possible) of about 8-14 people, and assigned a group leader, aka a "groupie". This is to be their friend and confidante, the person who gets them up in the morning, checks they are ok, accompanies the group to meals and entertains in the evening. All of the groupies are nice, bubbly people who are available to have a chat and a laugh as well as being in general charge of the group. The attitude will vary in accordance with the age of the group, one week I had a group of 7 and 8 year olds, so we sang a lot of songs, played games and had a lot of crying children who needed sensitive comforting. Another week it was mostly girls of 14-16, so we had a right laugh, listening to music, chatting about boys and being like a mate to them rather than a "teacher" figure.

---Structure of a typical holiday---

Most PGL holidays last a week, starting on a Saturday and fini
shing the following Saturday. Children can arrive on the afternoon, usually between 2 and 5. Parents can drive the children there, or there is the choice of escorted coach travel from all major cities or pick ups from the nearest train/coach station. The camp will have been specially cleaned for the start day, and bags will be carried by chirpy staff, parents will be shown around, offered a drink, and then gotten rid of! The majority of children go alone, which although daunting, is a great way to make new friends and gain confidence. Some children go with siblings or friends, and can be placed in groups and accommodation together if they specify. All of these details will be on the booking forms.

The groups and activity schedule is organised in advance, and it is up to the group leader to sort the group out, get them to meeting points on time and with all necessary clothing.

As the dribble of children gets larger, the group leaders will organise games, give out drinks and chat to the children to help them settle in. Although most children are very shy at the start, by dinner they are usually chatting away and feeling a lot happier about being there. Guests are kept very busy during their holiday and don't get a lot of time to feel homesick, which is a good thing, I think, especially for little ones.

Breakfast will be a choice of cereals, toast and cooked (maybe croissants, pain au chocolat, waffles, beans, eggs, bacon, porridge..)

Lunch is packed, sandwiches, crisps, chocolate and a piece of fruit. There is always a choice of sandwiches and children choose the night before which filling they want. Especially fussy children (I hated them when I was sandwich maker!) can just have bread and butter.

Dinner will be a choice of two or three hot dishes, always with a vegetarian choice. One week we had an entirely Muslim school, 95% of whom were vegetarian and about half of whom were vegan. That was not a fun week to wor
k in the kitchen, I can tell you!

If a child has any specific dietary requirements (nut allergy, wheat allergy..whatever), so long as this is specified by the parents, PGL will provide for them, buying in soya milk, or gluten free bread or whatever it is they need.

The group leader looks out for all the children at meal times and makes sure they all get a good meal to give them the energy they need and coaxes fussy eaters into trying the curry!

The food will be different at all the centres and is generally better at the smaller centres, simply because it's easier to cater for a group of 30 than a group of 300. But there is always a choice and although it's not haute cuisine, it's good old fashioned grub to fill you up. All kitchen staff have to take a hygiene test and are trained in safety issues.

Activity sessions last all day, from 9 till 5 with an hour for lunch. In the evening there are entertainments, or "ents". This can vary from a talent show to a disco, to video nights to outdoor games. The staff organise the ents and try to give everyone a good time. A disco is usually held on the Friday night, so the kids can let their hair down and have a smooch with their new boy/girl friend to the slow dance. Yes, I did it as a guest (say no more), and yes I laughed when the kids did it.

All children are strongly encouraged to take a shower every day in the evening..not all do though!

Bedtimes, and lights out vary depending on age, but are sensible, and most kids are tired out by the time it's dark! Once everyone is in their tents/rooms, night staff take over who patrol the site, looking out for kids who go to the bathroom or try to sneak into the boys/girls rooms.

There is a basic rule for all PGL staff and that is to never be alone with a child- it is sad in these times that people need to cover themselves in case of allegations, but that is the case and it works well all roun
d.

--Accommodation and practicalities--

Many children will stay in tents on their PGL holiday. But these are not smelly, muddy little tents. In fact they are quite luxurious. They have concrete floors, proper beds with mattresses and accommodate four guests.

Tents and rooms are cleaned thoroughly once a week, and rooms are cleaned daily.

Children should bring their own bedding, or they can pay to borrow some from the centre.

Children staying for more than a week get their clothes washed and dried for them, and all guests have access to a drying room.

Guests are encouraged to bring old, sporty clothes whch they won't mind getting muddy or ripped during activities.

---Naughtiness!---

Parents of older children may be worried about alcohol, drugs, smoking and sex. All those hormones let loose in the sun could be a recipe for disaster. Alcohol and drugs are completely forbidden and anyone who is found with them would more than likely be sent straight home. Smoking is permitted for those whose parents have signed to say so, and is allowed only in designated areas (usually very close to the office, so someone can keep an eye on them!). I think this is a sensible, realistic policy, because it prevents smoking being a fire hazard, and keeps the smokers separate from the others.

Relationships happen of course, which you would expect when a group of horny teenagers get together. Staff keep a watchful eye on any relationships that develop, and the basic rule is no members of the opposite sex in rooms. They are allowed in tents, but only with the flap up, so everyone can see what's going on inside (that sounds very rude on reading it back!). During "free time" (which the older children get after evening ents), there are staff on duty who walk around and keep an eye on everything. Any over excitable snogging (lol) is calmed down, and any major acts of naughtiness would result i
n the couple being sent to the centre manager for a stern word or two.

For me, PGL strike a good balance. They give kids freedom to make friends and have a laugh without breathing down their necks, but keep a close eye on everything going on and intervene when necessary.

Activities available vary depending on the centre in question, but here's a list of the most common ones:
Abseiling, climbing wall, trapeze, fencing, motor sports, archery, orienteering, zip wire, sailing, canoeing, dragon boats, windsurfing, horse riding, obstacle course.

Younger children may have activities such as arts and crafts and games of football or rounders.


--Accidents--

As I have already explained, safety is top priority at PGL. Staff training is very well carried out and kids are kept under control during activities. No child is forced to do an activity they really don't want to, although they will be encouraged to "give it a go". But with excitable children running about, small scrapes and bumps do inevitably happen. Any accidents are noted in a logbook, and trained first aiders are at hand to apply bandages. Large centres have a first aid room with a few beds, and small centres have the use of a first aid room nearby. Any cause for concern and a driver will whip the kid in question off to A and E for a checkout, to be on the safe side.

Any children with medication are asked to hand it in at the start of the holiday, and doses are given out and noted down daily.

---Booking and Prices---

Prices vary for PGL holidays, depending on the time of year (the first and last week of summer holidays are cheaper than the middle for instance), type of accommodation and type of holiday. As well as week long holidays, there are "mini breaks" for a weekend or 4 days. I can't go through all the prices here as they vary so much, but expect to pay anything between £150 and £400 as a rough
guide for a weeks holiday. PGL often have special offers on, such as "buy one week get one free" or cheaper prices on underbooked holidays, so look out on the website.

The website contains details of all holidays and pictures of centres, as well as a bulletin board and "fun" section for children. You can also order a brochure from there. Once you have paid for the holiday, you will receive final details about timings, activities and so on. Then once you have handed your kids over, you can forget about them for a week or two. All centres have phone boxes so you might get a mid week call home saying what a good time they are having. The vast majority of children really enjoy their holidays, meeting people and trying new activities is something they remember for a long time. Many kids come back year after year, loving the PGL traditional songs and games (SPLAT, anyone?).

--Equal Opportunities--

All children are welcome at PGL, any special diets can be catered for, there is no religious affilliations and disabled children are also welcome. We had a boy come one week who was 8 years old, who had no use of his legs and used a wheelchair, but still took part in nearly all the activities, including abseiling.

--The End--

I recommend this company. If you want to send your kids away and have peace of mind for yourself while being sure they will have a good time, try PGL. They have years of experience in providing activity holidays and have developed a fun attitude with sensible policies. I enjoyed my holiday with them and saw hundreds of children enjoy their holiday while I worked there. I don't work there anymore, so I am not biased, just honest!

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