Key Information and FAQs

Each of our centres are as unique as the children who attend them and there truly is something for everyone. Some centres are smaller and have a more homely traditional feel, whereas others offer huge areas to explore and a larger number of other guests to make friends with! It is important that whichever centre you choose is the right fit for your child and therefore we recommend visiting our camp locations online to find out more prior to booking. Our team are always on hand to provide advice and answer any questions on 0333 321 2114.

Our camps provide challenge and enjoyment for everyone. Guests 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 TRAILBLAZE! Adventure Specialist Camps.

When placing a reservation for a Kids’ Camp you will need to provide a name, email contact and telephone number for each child’s legal parent/guardian, in order for us to send out an Essential Guest Information Form for completion. You will also be required to confirm you are happy to complete all paperwork required prior to the Kids’ Camp taking place and that each child on your booking is able to undertake responsibility for their own personal care during their stay with us. We require at least 2 people to be named as contacts for each child whilst they are on centre and at least one of these must be a next of kin and must always be available to collect the child 24 hours a day in the event of unforeseen holiday curtailments such as illness or conduct issues.

Due to these requirements we are unable to process bookings placed by Social Services or Schools for individual children. We would gladly accept bookings for children that are being funded by such organisations, however, the booking must be placed by a person with parental or legal responsibility that resides at the home address of the child. We can accept payments from organisations and can provide invoices on request of the lead booker, however we can only accept these payments if requested at least 14 days prior to arrival. If arrival is within 14 days we would require full payment at the time of making the booking, by credit or debit card.

You can find details of how to book and what is required in our Making a booking page.

We have three main age groups in the UK:

• 8-11 year olds
• 11-13 year olds
• 13-16 year olds

The ‘overlap’ between our age ranges allows flexibility when there are a few years difference between brothers and sisters. It also means that, for example, a ‘primary school’ 11 year old may join our 8-11 age group, whereas a ‘secondary school’ 11 year old may join our 11-13 age group. You know your own child best but please feel free to discuss the options with our Sales and Customer Service Advisors. Within these separate age bands, our practice is to group children of a similar age together for accommodation and activity arrangements, however, this may not be possible on some camps when numbers are small, but this is rarely a problem because the interest in activities provides a common bond.

We aim to ensure that your child takes part in as wide a range of activities as possible. Therefore the activity programme is planned in advance by the Centre Operations Team and will be advised upon arrival. Details of the activities are on the centre pages, but if you have any questions at all, please call and speak to one of our team. As there are large numbers of different activities available at each centre, we cannot guarantee to fit every activity into each camp – there just isn’t time! This is particularly the case with shorter DISCOVER! Adventure camps, but gives a great reason to visit again!

Where a request is made for children to be in the same activity group and accommodation we will do our best to make sure this is possible, providing they are in the same age group, of the same gender and attending the same camp. Please ensure all relevant parties note the request in the ‘general request’ section of your Essential Guest Information Form. Any rooming requests that cannot be honoured will not be communicated prior to arrival and we are unable to refund any camp cancelled due to not being able to meet requests.

Yes – if your child is staying for more than one week, we recommend that they either book onto a different camp or try a different centre for the second week to make sure they get the most out of their experience. Inter-centre transfers can be arranged between most centres. We will provide one machine wash at UK centres, usually at the end of their first camp week. On the second Saturday of their camp, guests will participate in activities on centre that are suitable for all age ranges and abilities whilst the centre prepares for new arrivals.

We are able to support children requiring regular medication that can be self-administered. We do need to know the details and you will need to complete and submit this within your Essential Guest Information Form. If you are bringing medication (prescribed or otherwise) you will be required to hand this in on arrival. Please note that this will need to be in original packaging with dosage details enclosed.

For full details of our policies, expectations and behavioural management system please visit our ‘Safe and happy’ page here.

We do allow children to bring mobile phones with them to centre, however we operate a strict mobile phone policy. Further details can be found on our In safe hands with PGL page or in our mobile phone policy below:

Kids Adventure Camps Mobile Phone Policy

The majority of our Multi-Activities take place at our centres, however TRAILBLAZE! Specialist Adventures Camps and some Watersports require transport to an external provider or off-site location.

If your child is celebrating their birthday whilst on their PGL Kids’ Camp they will receive a PGL birthday card on the big day! Enclosed in this card is a ‘queue jump sticker’ which can be worn on the day and gives your child the opportunity to be first in the queue within their group, for everything they do that day from activities to dining room queues.

Please note – you will need to notify us of your child’s birthday in the general information section of your Essential Guest Information Form in order for our centre teams to be aware and able to celebrate with them.

You will be able to call the centre directly during your child’s camp and arrange to speak to them or we will pass on any messages. We do ask you to try not to telephone the centre too excessively to speak to your child, as particularly during the day they will be out and about enjoying activities for most of the time. This makes it difficult to arrange contact quickly or relay messages. Centre contact details are included in your Essential Information Booklet – provided in your MyPGL account post booking.

We work with leading catering organisations to ensure our food is the best. A vegetarian option is always available and we can accommodate most special dietary requirements. Please see our Sample Menu

Outdoor activities will run as long as it is considered safe to do so and would only be curtailed due to severe weather such as lightening, high winds or snow. Where possible alternatives will be organised subject to availability. If poor weather such as rain is forecast during your child’s stay, we recommend that you pack additional clothing and footwear so wet items can be changed between activities.

Even the most active children feel tired after a full day of activities followed by our evening programmes, so we insist on sensible bedtimes for children to ensure that everyone gets a good night’s rest. Exact times may vary from centre to centre but are typically 20.30 for our 8-11 age groups, 21.30 for 11-13s and 22.30 for 13-16s.

It is part of our team’s role to get everyone to bed on time – sometimes easier said than done! Once ‘lights out’ has been called at centres the night duty team take over. They reassure the anxious, encourage the high spirited to settle down and continue their vigil until all is quiet. the Night duty team patrol the campsite or accommodation area throughout the night and they can quickly be contacted at any time should the need arise. Bedroom doors are locked, although these can be opened from the inside in case of emergency.

Of course, for some children, being away from home may initially be disconcerting. This is natural and only to be expected – even adults can experience ‘homesickness’! Our team is fully trained in the sensitive skills of identifying and dealing with children’s concerns and worries. In the vast majority of cases, a day or two of getting to know new friends and being involved in exciting activities will dispel all but the most persistent worries. You will, of course, be kept informed if there are any persistent problems.

Many PGL guests travel to our centres alone, however always come away with plenty of new friends!

Absolutely! On most of our camps we are able to offer a flexible drop off and collection window. Details of the timings available to you will be displayed as an optional extra when booking online and can be explained by our sales team over the phone also on 0333 321 2114.  Please note we require notification at least 3 days in advance if you wish to add a flexible arrival and/or departure to your booking.

There may be other school groups on holiday at the centre at the same time as your children. These guests are supervised by PGL staff and will have completely separate activity programmes, accommodation and, where possible social facilities.

You can find out more about how we cater for guests with additional needs here.

Once you have made a booking, it’s important you read your Essential Information pdf which you can download from your MyPGL account, as it contains lots of useful information, including a detailed list of what to bring. However we have also set out a suggested packing list for our Kids’ Camps below:

We provide all the specialist equipment that is essential for our activities, although children do need to bring personal items such as a good waterproof anorak or cagoule, footwear and casual clothes. We ensure that children are kitted out with activity equipment that conforms to British or European standards. Approved buoyancy aids or lifejackets are provided and must be worn during watersports sessions, and safety craft are always on patrol or standing by. Strict range disciplines are enforced for archery and rifle shooting. Abseilers and climbers are always protected by safety ropes. Please note that we are continually updating our equipment to reflect current best practices, and therefore equipment used may differ from that shown in photographs in our printed material or online.

For some Specialist Camps your child may be required to bring items with them such as a riding helmet – please see individual camp pages for further details.

All of our centres have an on-site Gift Shop which sells a selection of useful items such as toothbrushes and deodorant (in case anything is forgotten in the excitement of packing!) along with drinks, snacks and souvenirs. We stock a variety of snacks and sweets to suit all tastes, with plenty of healthy choices available. Our souvenirs are designed with children in mind and gifts start from just 50p, meaning that there is something for every budget. Children will have access to the shop around their meals and activity sessions, supervised by centre staff.

All PGL Kids’ Camps are fully inclusive and there is little need for children to bring large sums of money. However, there are sometimes excursion days, and all centres feature a Gift Shop selling sweets and small souvenirs. Some centres for older children also have a pool table or similar in the chill out room at a cost of around 50p per game. There is no obligation for any guest to take part in these optional extras, and a free alternative activity will always be available on centre.

On our Kids’ Camps we recommend pocket money of around £5 a day for purchasing everyday essentials and treats; plus between £5 and £20 to purchase gifts which will be on sale all week. We operate a secure system for holding and issuing pocket money in accordance with parents’ wishes.

The majority of our activity centres do not automatically supply bedding. If for any reason your child is not able to bring a sleeping bag/duvet from home, it is possible to hire bedding for their Kids’ Camp at a cost of £25 per child per week. Depending upon the centre, bedding consists of pillow and pillowcase and either a duvet, duvet cover and sheet or sleeping bag and sheet inner.

Make great savings by purchasing bedding alongside one of our super Camp Kits.

All children are made aware of safety procedures and shown exits and assembly points before they go to bed on their first night at the centre. There is a weekly fire drill at all centres.

Help us to help you! PGL team members will do their best to return named lost property to owners. However, if lost clothing is not clearly marked, it is unlikely that we will be able to trace it. We strongly recommend woven type name tapes, which should be firmly stitched into an obvious place in each garment. We reserve the right to charge postage and packing for those items returned after your camp. We retain lost property for two weeks after the end of your child’s camp.

If you have a query that isn’t listed here, or you would like more information on any of the topics mentioned, please call us on 0333 321 2114 and we’d be happy to discuss it with you.