Q&A with PGL ambassadors – ask your questions about Kids’ Adventure Camps!

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Thinking about booking a PGL camp for your child but not sure where to start? Wondering what actually happens during a stay, or how they handle things like food, homesickness, or allergies?

We’re running a special Q&A with two expert PGL ambassadors, who’ll be answering all your questions about their kids’ camps, from what to pack, to how to prepare nervous first-timers, and everything in between.

Whether your DC is/are already signed up or you’re just considering it, pop your questions below and they’ll be answered during the session.

As a thank you for your participation, one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £200 VEX voucher and a PGL Family Activity Day for up to four people!* To be entered into the prize draw, please post your questions below by Friday 23rd May. T&Cs apply.

PGL’s experts Emma and Stefan will return to answer some of your questions W/C 2nd June!

*Click here to find out more about PGL’s Family Activity days (voucher can be redeemed at Lincolnshire or Torquay family supercentres.) You can find out more about PGL Kids’ Adventure Camps here.

About the Experts:

Emma is a Customer Service Manager at PGL looking after a large team of friendly, knowledgeable advisors who arrange Kids Camps and Family Breaks.
Emma has been with the company since 2022, bringing with her endless enthusiasm and expertise and will be your go to for any questions relating to bookings and pre-travel. Delivering strong levels of customer service and with no question too small, Emma and her team speak with parents and guardians on a daily basis, making the booking process easy and effortless.

Stefan is an Activity Instructor and Group Leader specialising in rope activities such as climbing and abseiling, ensuring not only that every child has heaps of fun but also that they are in safe hands at all times during their stay. He will be answering any queries relating to when your child is staying with PGL on a Kids’ Camp. Stefan has been with PGL since 2012 and when not taking care of children on their adventures (or his own 5 year old daughter!) he loves the outdoors and can be seen paddleboarding, kayaking and mountaineering most weekends.

In order to ensure your child is accommodated on camp, any allergies should be outlined in the Essential Guest Information Form ahead of their arrival onto a Kids Camp. Our customer service team can then talk you through how we can support individuals on a case-by-case basis and in some cases, liaise with our expert catering teams too if it’s a food allergy.

In order to ensure your child is accommodated on camp, any allergies should be outlined in the Essential Guest Information Form ahead of their arrival onto a Kids Camp. Our customer service team can then talk you through how we can support individuals on a case-by-case basis and in some cases, liaise with our expert catering teams too if it’s a food allergy.

Children can bring snacks yes, but rest assured their three meals a day will keep their tummies full and energy levels high! When bringing snacks, we recommend refraining from bringing any products with nuts in for the safety of others.

Homesickness can be common on Kids Camps, especially if it’s their first time away! We ensure to check in with parents on how their child is getting on at camp so our on-centre teams will arrange a call home or call you to inform you about your child’s homesickness if it persists.

Another good question! Our Kids Camps provide challenge and enjoyment for everyone. Kids don’t need any previous experience to enjoy our activities and our team is able and ready to instruct children of all standards of competence.

A reasonable level of fitness is required for some of our Specialist Camps such as Pony Camps but other than that, we’re here to encourage them and ensure they have fun!

It really varies – some kids attend by themselves, with school friends or with siblings, but rest assured – they all go home with a bunch of new friends too!

Our activities continue into the evening too, so after dinner they’ll enjoy activities such as a Silent Disco, Film Night and Campfire (depending on the centre they’re at!). They’ll have so much fun, they won’t want to leave!

We’re glad you like the sound of the food selection – we know that BIG adventures require fuel, so rest assured there’s plenty to go round! To answer your question - it’s self-serve, so they can see what they fancy from the menu on the day. The menu is available to view throughout their stay so they always know what’s coming up and can prepare in advance. We also have an unlimited salad bar, which is a hit

For rooming and activity groups, we have three age groups: 8-11, 11-13 and 13-16, so if they both fall into the same age group e.g. aged 11 and 13, we’re happy to let them join the same activity group within the 11-13 group.

Ultimately, it’s your choice. If you feel they would benefit from each having their own experience, and the 13-year-old would prefer to go into the older group for example, then we can accommodate that request – just chat with our friendly team on 0333 321 2114 in the office who can advise!

Our programming team ensures that activities are scheduled sensibly so children aren’t needing to get changed multiple times a day.

If they have clothes that require drying, their group leader can assist and take these to our on-site drying facilities.

We recognise that many parents value their children having a mobile phone with them on their holiday, and we absolutely allow children staying with us to use them at specific times during their break. Our mobile devices policy for children travelling unaccompanied sets out all the information you’ll need on this subject.

Once you’ve booked, you’ll be sent an Essential Guest Information Form “EGIF” which allows you to tell us all about your child(ren) - their likes, dislikes, how we can connect with them, but most importantly, any additional needs (including mental health concerns) that they might have.

From here, our Safeguarding & SEND team will review the EGIF. They might contact you if they would like more information to really understand how to support your child(ren).

On centre, our colleagues are trained to look after a wide range of additional needs, and we also have a dedicated Welfare Team at every centre who provide that extra level of care.

Love this! It’s definitely something we hear a lot on centre from our guests, but PGL actually stands for Peter Gordon Lawrence, the founder of our company.

For our Multi-Activity Kids Camps, we provide all specialist equipment for our activities such as harnesses, helmets and buoyancy aids so leave it with us! The only case where guests occasionally bring their own equipment is on specialist camps such as Pony Camps.

Helping children settle at bedtime, especially when they're overexcited or homesick, is key to making sure they're rested for the next day's adventures. We follow a calm, consistent routine with set bedtimes by age group to support good sleep.

For homesick children, we offer gentle reassurance and remind them these feelings are normal. A comfort item from home, like a teddy or photo, can really help. We also focus on the fun activities ahead to shift their attention in a positive direction.

With patience, empathy, and a safe environment, most children settle well.

All our on-site centre teams are fully DBS checked in order to deliver activities and provision on centre to our wonderful guests. Our teams, depending on the role, undertake extensive training to ensure everyone is In Safe Hands. We recommend taking a read of our Safeguarding Policy which contains so much more information on this topic: https://adventureholidays.pgl.co.uk/travel-and-stay/useful-policies/

In order to attend a Kids Camp, parents/guardians fill in an Essential Guest Information Form in which they outline if their child can carry out personal care and able to make sensible choices when it comes to mealtime.

Each child has a designated group leader who is on hand to check everyone’s eating well at breakfast, lunch and dinner for a busy day of activities. We advise packing suncream and a hat if the forecast suggests high temperatures and sunny conditions. Our group leaders instruct their groups to apply sun cream and encourage the kids to help one another too!

Yes of course. Your daughter’s comfort and well-being are our priority. If she's claustrophobic, she can absolutely opt out of any activity she’s not comfortable with (which goes for any activity i.e. heights or water). We’ll never force a child to participate in something that makes them uncomfortable.

When this happens, we ensure children still feel included and engaged, rather than just sitting out, such as becoming the team leader on problem solving and assisting her team to navigate the course! When you’re ready to book, do let us know more about her specific needs, and we’ll work with you to make sure she has a positive and enjoyable experience!

No problem at all! Kids attending our activity holidays do not need to be strong swimmers to take part in watersport activities, as all kids are required to wear aids regardless. Our customer service team can help address any concerns on 0333 321 2114.