Daycamps

The best school holidays EVER!

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Available each Easter & Summer, children have the best school holidays at Fairthorne Manor Daycamps! From the minute they step onto the expansive 95-acre site until they say goodbye, there’s a week long world of opportunities to learn, explore interests, and have fun outdoors with friends.

With a variety of fantastic and exciting outdoor activities and adventures led by our friendly and experienced team, children can enjoy the fresh air and find something special to love.

Choose your Daycamp

Daycamps are the perfect way for your child to try something different and let their passion shine. Available for children currently in Years 3-11 during the Easter and May holidays, and in the summer holidays for those children about to start Y3-11 in September.

Daycamps are only available on a week long, Monday to Friday basis to enable us to pack everything in!

Offering excitement and plenty of outdoor activities. Spend your day ziplining through the woods, building dens, balancing on low ropes, or lighting a fire in our multi-activity camp. With over 20 activities on offer, there is plenty of variety to get stuck into. Available for Years 3 and above.

Let your child’s creativity run free with our Creative Art Camp. Papier Mache and mould your own designs, create bird feeders, paint pottery in your favourite colours, pebble painting and much more. Children will create unique works of art that they’ll cherish.

Science Camp (Y3+)

Venture into the world of science for a week on our Science Camp. Complete exciting and educational experiments including making ice cream in a matter of minutes, complete the egg drop challenge, making a volcano erupt, and creating your very own lava lamp!

Survival Camp (Y3+)

Take the first steps to becoming a survival expert with this survival camp. Learn basic survival skills such as first aid, archery, lighting fires, building survival shelters, navigating streams, and camouflaging in the environment. Available for Years 3s and above.

Water Camp (Y4+)

Make a splash with our Watercamp! Learn to paddle in a kayak, canoe, kata kanu, and Stand-up paddleboard, navigate the stream in stream explore, and take on exciting challenges like water games, aqua slides, and river obstacle courses. Available for year 4 and above.

Extreme Survival Camp (Y5+)

Take your survival skills to the next level! Learn how to make archery equipment, complete a first aid challenge, make your own fire to cook on, and test your skills with extreme survival. Available for those who have already completed the survival camp, and in Years 5 and above.

Paddles Plus Camp (Y5+)

This exciting camp is for those who love the water! Learning how to rescue crafts, yourself, and others, whilst developing your paddling skills, you’re sure to experience a week you’ll never forget. Available to those who have already completed water camp and in year 5 or above.

Want a simpler programme with the flexibility of booking by the day?

Holiday Club (Yr R-11)

Holiday Club (Yr R - 11)

Our new and exciting offer, providing a simpler programme that’s still heaps of fun. Your child will enjoy a range of activities including arts and crafts, sports and games, den building, messy play, and team-building. A fantastic childcare option for years R to 11.

Extra Fun

Breakfast

Club

Add Breakfast Club to your child’s booking to ensure they are fuelled for the day with a tasty breakfast. Served from 7:30am – 9am for just £40/week.

Packed

Lunch

Choose a freshly prepared lunch from our kitchen to keep your child energised throughout the day of exciting adventures for just £30/week.

Dinner

Club

Need to extend the day until 6pm to finish those essential tasks? Add Dinner Club to receive a delicious cooked meal and 2 hours of care. £55/week

Thursday Sleepover

Children can enjoy a night away from home with our sleepover in YMCA tents; which includes dinner, breakfast & lunch next day for £25

Daycamps Bus

Jump on the Summer Daycamp bus with routes starting in from Southampton, Portsmouth, Romsey, Winchester and Gosport and picking up along the way.  Just £20 a week, making life simpler for parents and better for the environment.  We use private coaches and have staff on onboard – see below for information on bus routes, stops, times and frequency of routes. Simply add to your order when booking.

Check out our bus routes below for stops and times.

FAQs

Your child will be kept active and outdoor activities take place come rain or shine. To make sure that your child is prepared each day, please bring the following named kit: > Packed lunch and a drink (refillable bottle) > Snacks for breaks in the day > Sun hat and cream if weather is warm > Shoes that can and will get wet > Wellies > Towel (warm showers and changing facilities are available) > Warm clothing (jacket, jumpers, trousers) > Waterproof jacket > Spare clothes (a complete set, including pants and socks) > Plastic bag (to put wet clothes in) > Spare shoes to travel home in > Optional tuck money (in a named purse/wallet) > Medication if required
Our standard day drop off is between 9.00-9.30am, with collection between 3.30-4.00pm - just follow the signs on they day which will direct you to our registration area. Alternatively, add Breakfast Club (7.30-9.00am) or Dinner Club (3.30-4.00pm) to your child's booking to extend the fun!  If you feel you would like to remain onsite after drop off for peace of mind, head to the cafe at reception for a hot or cold drink.   Please note that in the summer holidays, bus transport is not available for children attending Holiday Club.
We welcome children with support needs to attend our school holiday programmes. We appreciate that support requirements vary from child to child so if you think your child would benefit from additional support, don't hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] to request a Child Profile Form before making your booking to discuss your child's needs with our Out of School Manager. Children with 1:1 support requirements will need a Gateway Plus Card to attend with 1:1 support provided as part of the Hampshire County Council Short Breaks Scheme - find out more about the Gateway Card Scheme here. Please Note: sessions will be available based on allocated funding spaces.    
Great news! As all YMCA Daycamps and Camp Fairthorne are classed as childcare, you save money on the cost by paying with Childcare Vouchers (CCV) or the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme (TFC). Deciding to pay by CCV or TFC amounts to accepting to buy a service and will be subject to the relevant booking conditions.  We also accept payment by credit or debit card for any of our services. For more information, visit https://ymca-fg.org/save-money-on-your-school-holiday-childcare/ or call our team for advice: 01489 785228
The majority of our activities are suitable for children with disabilities or can be adapted to make them accessible to ensure everyone can experience the benefits of outdoor adventure.  Camp Fairthorne children stay in tents with wooden floors and access a nearby toilet and shower block which has an accessible bathroom. Please contact us to discuss your child’s requirements.
Yes, Fairthorne Manor Daycamps are Ofsted rated. Please view the reports here.

Fairthorne Manor Daycamps

Maisie loves the Daycamps. Always comes home full of exciting stories about what she has done, experienced and achieved. Already looking forward to the summer holidays and coming back! The staff are brilliant and Maisie always feels safe knowing they are there on hand all the time.

Karen, 2023

Perfect Location

Fairthorne Manor is ideally located outside Botley just 3 miles from the M27, midway between Southampton & Portsmouth.