A debt advice charity has offered top money-saving tips for parents over the summer holidays.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has launched a "Summer Savers" campaign to help parents manage their finances during the school break.
The charity, alongside Viewfield Baptist Church in Dunfermline, seeks to alleviate concerns about finances affecting the summer holidays.
It acknowledges how challenging it is for parents to balance extra childcare costs, time off work, and activities to keep children entertained during this period.
Many families, especially those already struggling with debt and financial issues, feel the strain during this time.
According to CAP's 2025 "No Time To Lose" client report, 38 per cent of clients said their children's emotional wellbeing had been affected, while 30 per cent reported negative impacts on their children's mental health.
The report also highlights the plight of many single parents, who bear the additional burden of raising children on a single income.
In 2024, 28 per cent of new CAP clients were single parents, which is considerably higher than the seven per cent they represent in the broader population.
Worryingly, 99 per cent of these single parents said they were unable to save money.
CAP's Dunfermline debt coach, Duncan Christie, said: "We understand the pressures parents who are struggling financially face in finding cheap activities for their kids over the summer, and we really want to help the parents in our local community improve their finances, so we’re launching our Summer Savers campaign to raise awareness of the free debt help and money coaching groups that we offer and provide a few money-saving tips to help."
Mr Christie suggests creating an action plan for summer activities to avoid last-minute stress and to work out a budget for each activity.
CAP also advises taking advantage of free activities such as play parks, beaches, and church-organised holiday clubs.
These activities offer children the opportunity to have fun and socialise, while parents can enjoy a few hours to themselves.
Checking council websites and Facebook community groups for advertised free summer activities is another suggestion.
The charity also recommends having a clear-out of children's play spaces, involving children in decluttering their bedrooms, and selling any unwanted items for extra funds.
The charity believes that such activities will save parents from the pressure of buying new toys and provide some extra summer spending money.
Mr Christie also suggests setting helpful tasks for children, such as household chores.
He said: "Including the kids in some of the household chores might not sound that exciting, but you’d be surprised how much enjoyment can be had from getting everyone involved.
"It takes the pressure off you and also teaches them some valuable skills.
"You could divvy out small tasks using a chore wheel to make it fair and offer fun incentives such as a sticker reward chart."
Cooking and baking together can be a fun and educational activity, with the potential to teach children to cook economically.
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