Honest Toun Family Day - Musselburgh Racecourse 29th September.

A new study has revealed that 86% of parents in Scotland believe there aren’t enough low-cost activities available for children during the summer holidays, leading to more children spending fewer hours outside.

In research commissioned by Great British Racing for its ‘Under 18s Race Free’ campaign, it

was found that parents in the country are becoming increasingly concerned with the sedentary lifestyle of their children, with 84% of parents wanting their children to spend more time outdoors during the school holidays.

The majority of outdoor activities on offer, however, are considered to be too expensive, with live sporting events highlighted as being particularly pricey – 82% of parents have been put off taking their children to live sport because of the cost of the ticket, while 53% of parents surveyed do not take their children to live sport at all.

Great British Racing ambassador, and parent of two, Tess Daly commented, “As a parent the

school holidays are a fantastic opportunity to spend quality time with your children, yet finding activities that are stimulating, healthy and affordable can be a challenge. As a child my parents went out of their way to take me to live sport and I do the same for my kids now, there’s nothing better than a day at the races. As well as the thrill of the racing, the kids are able to run around in the fresh air and there are plenty of activities for them too, from having their faces painted to meeting race horses.”

Tess recently visited a racehorse training yard to see the preparation that goes into getting

horses ready for the races. You can watch this here. It is available to embed below.

Tess is promoting Great British Racing’s unique ‘Under 18s Race Free’ offering through which accompanied under 18s are admitted free of charge to the vast majority of fixtures at Britain’s 60 racecourses throughout the year, when accompanied by an adult 1 .

Scotland is home to five racecourses that will hosting 21 race meetings during the summer holidays, including four dedicated family days.

Hamilton Park hosted its Family Day on 13 th July that will include segways, laser tag and bungee trampolines, whilst Musselburgh will hosted an Ice Cream themed family day on 23 rd July.

Ayr hosted its Glasgow Fair Family Day with face painting and fair ground rides on 15 th July and one of Perth’s four race events is a Family Day on 14 th July with archery and a Bucking Bronco.

Delly Innes, Manager of Scottish Racing said, “We are delighted to be part of Great British

Racing’s ‘U18s Race Free’ campaign and offer children the chance to be part of many live

sporting events throughout the summer holidays. Racing is such a fantastic day out, with an

unbeatable atmosphere. It offers something for the whole family and we are pleased to be able to offer live sport at an affordable price for parents across Scotland.”

As well as unmissable action on the track, racecourses provided a range of free experiences for under 18s including pony rides, the chance to meet a racehorse and fairground attractions, making it a great and affordable day out for all the family.

Find your local family raceday here - under18sracefree.com