July Talk with Sean Harper

It's July the second summer month and it's the time when school ends of the academic year and holiday season begins. So what's July looking like for you in your business, organisation or role. Today we're talking to Sean Harper who is manager of the Just for Fun Holiday Club based in Swindon which provides affordable childcare for children during the school holidays between the ages of 4-13 years. With a huge range of activities to participate in, the children never have an opportunity to get bored. The team are based at three locations around Swindon with ambitions to increase venues in 2023.

What are your plans for July in your business?
Our plans this month are to highlight our Summer Holiday Camps. Summer is the busiest time of the year for us with 23 days of activities to plan for. 

We try to offer a wide range of external visitors as well as a fun filled programmes including Nerf gun battles, water fights, team competitions and much more. 

We are also part of the HAF programme which allows around 8,000 children from lower income backgrounds the opportunity to attend 16 days for free across the summer holidays - when their parents or carers register with their relevant local authorities. More information is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-food-programme/holiday-activities-and-food-programme-2021

What are your personal plans for this month? 
Personally I need to get back to looking after myself. Having to work fulltime and then run Just for Fun as a part time job takes most of my time. 

I must make many sacrifices in order to maintain high standards in both. 

Time with friends, hobbies, fitness, wellbeing have all been put on hold for many months now. I plan to get running again to release some of the stresses I face. It's a work in progress!

Does July hold any particular significance for you or your business/organisation? 
July is a month when we officially unveiled Just for Fun Holiday Club four years ago. 

We have grown enormously since then and have progressed gradually. 

When we started this business we never expected it to become the size that it is now. It’s a great month to reflect and compare to the previous years in terms of growth and ambitions for the upcoming year.

Do you like sport – and if so do any sporting tournaments or events stand out for you this month? 
A crazy question for me in many ways as sport is so integral to Just For Fun which is often about activity, movement and sport.

As I've said, personally sport and hobbies have taken a back seat while I try and balance everything else that comes with being an adult and working two jobs. 

My hobby is football and I have missed this over the past year. I'm hoping to get back involved this coming season by joining a local club.

On a much lighter note – July 17 is World Emoji Day and this often trends on social media. What do you think of emojis? 
I love an emoji. Every message I send includes at least one! Even my emails to parents will include a smiley face  [??]

Emojis are a great way I find to make a piece of text more interesting and quicker to skim read. The emoji tells you the story through feelings. It's almost like reading a comic strip.

Can you name one business you’d like to give a summer shout out to? 
I would have to say Swindon Borough Council. Their hard work in making the HAF programme a success has really helped us grow. 

We are privileged to work closely with them and wouldn’t be where we are today without them. 

They have a great team leading the HAF programme who have been so supportive when needed. On behalf of Just for Fun I would like to say a huge thank you to Sarah and the team.

 As a consumer have you visited a local business, bought their products or services and thought ‘I must recommend them’! 

Gorse Hill Tea Rooms. Steve and the team supply our food during the holidays and do a great job in ensuring the food meets healthy schools' standards and also more importantly that it arrives on time.

It's been a pleasure working with Steve and the team and the food is always very nice. The staff now order their food also from him rather than bringing their own.

You can find him here - https://gorsehilltearoom.square.site

And finally:
I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has used us, recommended us, returned to us, shared our content, tagged us in posts, given us reviews and feedback and sang our praises to people that you come across. 

We are about to enter our 5th year of operating and as clichéd as it sounds we wouldn’t be in the position we are in if it wasn’t for the parents and carers who send their children to one of our holiday clubs. 

We have over 100 five-star reviews and a high level of returning customers, who enjoy what we offer. We really can't thank you all enough for putting your faith into us to look after and entertain your children during the holidays.

For more information visit https://justforfunholidayclub.co.uk