Fairthorne Manor has been open throughout the pandemic and those services that were reduced in the pandemic have now returned to normal including our onsite nursery, Daycamps, public campsite, and community programmes.

How has COVID affected YMCA Fairthorne Manor?

The loss of 18 months of school and group residentials and family programmes, along with the reduction in numbers in our nursery and Daycamps has had a major impact on our income. As a children’s charity, this had a severe impact on our reserves and resulted in some redundancies at the end of summer 2020. However, over the last 12 months we have delivered exciting and creative programmes to ensure children, young people, and families continue to enjoy all that Fairthorne offers.  Fairthorne Manor is part of the wider YMCA Fairthorne Group covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with 18 childcare settings, supported housing for young people, and community services with a range of programmes.

Can my group make a residential or day visit?

Yes, Government advice confirms that all school and group trips can go ahead.

Now that school and groups are permitted, how will you address COVID issues in accommodation and facilities? 

There is no longer a requirement to operate a bubble system; however, the layout and setup at Fairthorne Manor enables groups to be easily separated.  Our indoor accommodation can be divided into separate wings and floors, each with its own separate entrance and exit.  Each wing or floor has shared bathroom facilities that are only shared with the group using the facility and accommodation is thoroughly cleaned prior to arrival and bathrooms cleaned daily during each stay.

In YMCA tents, children stay in 6 or 8 person tents in their own tent village separate from other groups, with tents cleaned at the end of each stay. We have two separate blocks of toilets/showers for camping groups.

We are not sure if we want to commit to a residential trip, can we come for day trips instead?

Yes, you can visit us on a day visit for a single or multiple day visits subject to availability.  More information available on our day visit page.

Have you got a COVID risk assessment about additional precautions?

Although the vast majority of COVID restrictions have now been removed, we have updated our risk statement outlining the precautions we have taken across a range of services.

If our school or group is based close to Fairthorne Manor, can parents drop off and collect children for day visits?

Yes, we have plenty of space and a system for parents to drop off and collect children; please discuss this with us during the booking process. This is an increasingly popular way to transport children to Fairthorne saving on transport costs.

Have you made any changes to your booking conditions?

We have added a new section on COVID cancellations – see our web page for details.

What if individual children are unable to attend due to a positive case or isolation?

Cancellations for individual children who are unable to attend will be dealt with in line with our standard booking conditions – see our web page for details.

Are any COVID-related costs such as cancellation covered by insurance?

Please ensure you have sufficient insurance cover before making your booking and check the COVID-related clauses with your insurers.

Updated 2/5/22