Surviving to thriving: How House of Fun was there for the local community through a global pandemic and has come out the other side smiling
On the blog today, Natalie from House of Fun, talks about their journey through the pandemic, how they supported families in Oxfordshire, and their plans to build on the strong community they have fostered. >>
2020 brought around times of change that people never expected in their lifetime: a global pandemic. The impact it had on individuals, families and businesses was huge and still today we are still feeling the effects.
Over the 10 years since House of Fun was founded, we have gradually grown but when the pandemic hit, we were faced with completely unexpected challenges.
From a business perspective, the biggest challenge was that as soon as we had made the decision to be closed when schools were closed, our revenue dropped overnight. It also became much more difficult to plan how to deliver our values of fun, creativity, inclusivity, friendliness and exploration in a newly-virtual world.
It was all new and everyone was learning about this virus at the same time. We needed to keep the business going, be there for the children attending once we had reopened, reassure the parents that their children would be safe with us once we reopened, whilst also adhering to continuously changing and updating restrictions and guidance.
People all reacted differently to the news of the pandemic and many personal factors played a part in this. At times this did make us worry about asking staff to work, knowing they had families at home that they were also trying to keep safe.
We made the decision early on that House of Fun would close when schools closed, and once schools were open again, we were too. We limited numbers in bubbles and did block bookings of 4 days at a time to avoid mixing. This enabled us to be open and to continue to offer a service, but also doubled our outgoings. We had fewer children attending, the same overheads and double the staff to run the groups in bubbles.
It was hard at times to reassure parents when you are a parent yourself with similar worries, but it was really important from our point of view that we were present and were there for our local communities who needed us. We quickly decided that we would do all we could within the parameters presented to us.
The first lockdown was acute for business but there was a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure we could open safely once guidance allowed it. Once schools opened up, the on-site team sprang into action, worked hard to ensure we were still delivering the fun-filled activity camps we pride ourselves on, and were flexible and adaptable. The first summer it was important to just be there. To give children the chance to socialise again.
Then came the Delta variant, which is when we saw a significant emotional impact on staff. We had been just getting on with what we needed to do for our own families and for those families that use House of Fun, but the news of the new variant and how fast it was spreading threw us straight back down into the depths of the pandemic. There was no end in sight, people were scared, their mental health already struggling, and another lockdown was not what anyone had hoped for. However, by just being there for people within our community, both staff and families attending House of Fun, we really felt a level of togetherness that we had perhaps not experienced before. This was an unexpectedly affirmative feeling, and undoubtedly gave us renewed energy to deliver on our values.
When we look back at the past two years, despite the horrendous outcomes of the pandemic, on some level we see so much positivity. The lockdowns and sudden restrictions that the pandemic brought about showed us just how adaptable our team is. It affirmed that we already have strong policies and procedures in place with experienced staff running our camps. We did all we could to reassure and be flexible for parents, we provided flexibility for cancellations throughout and we really did see our relationship with families strengthen. We ensured that where possible, we kept running for the community and it showed that we do something important. We provide fun days so no parent should ever feel guilty for needing childcare because they have to work during school holidays, or when other parents were furloughed.
Now as we come out the other side, we focus on where House of Fun is heading and how we can continue to grow.
In the upcoming Easter holidays, we will be officially launching House of Fun at Comper Foundation School, Oxford, welcoming 2-5 year olds to our camps for the first time. We have an amazing team that will be running a range of fun-filled activities all led by the Early Learning Goals of the Early Years Framework, and making use of their fantastic facilities and beautiful new garden on offer at Comper
Alongside Comper, we will continue our camps for 5-13 year olds at St Mary & John, Oxford and Rush Common, Abingdon. Both will be offering an extensive list of teacher-led activities for the children to choose from, that are designed to help boost their self-esteem and self-confidence, whilst making new friends and having fun.
This Summer we are delighted to be back at our beloved St Ebbe’s with our ever-popular Cookery courses on Fridays throughout the summer holiday. Our enthusiastic team will teach the children new cookery skills and enjoy making delicious savoury and sweet dishes to share at home.
We are also excited to announce our new multi-activity camps at Europa School, Culham, between Abingdon and Oxford. The Europa School offers fantastic facilities and we are so excited to be planning more fun for children at this new site!
On top of our camps, we also have other exciting projects coming this year.
One will be focussed on our commitment to providing summer camp placements to disadvantaged children, so that they can have the same opportunities as other children to just relax, have fun and enjoy their summer holidays in a fun and safe environment.
Another is that we are delighted to be back at Fit Farm Festival with @theprojectpt on Saturday 2nd July, running the Kids Zone and so much more.
And finally, we will be launching our inaugural Sports Leaders course for 13–15-year-olds at House of Fun. These young people will have the chance to earn a recognised qualification through the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) by working at our camps under a qualified tutor, planning, leading and evaluation active sessions with young people.
Keep an eye out for further details on our social media pages @houseoffunuk or on our website www.house-of-fun.co.uk!
About House of Fun
We are a teacher-led provider that offers school holiday activity camps for children aged 2-13 years old across the U.K, with a focus on building their self-esteem. We help children flourish through fun, diverse and creative activities. Follow us on social media for all House of Fun updates – Facebook & Instagram.
Head to our activity camps page to book your child onto our Easter, half term or summer holiday camps, where all our amazing staff will strive to build their self-esteem in an atmosphere of fun!
