Dave Benson Phillips helps celebrate Holiday Funs 18th Birthday

Based in the thatched Cricket Pavilion in the beautiful grounds of Lancing College the children get to use many of the school’s facilities. Lancing Holiday Fun, run by the College’s Squash  Professional Graham Stevenson, offers children from 6 to 13 the chance to relish their time off and enjoy a vast array of Sports, Games, and Art-based activities, from Swimming to Biking, Juggling to Kite-flying, and Drawing to Debating.

Graham Stevenson and Jane Arkwright started the holiday club in 1991 and simply felt it was a great pity that such a venue was not being put to good use during the long school holidays.

Graham says “ Last year we invited Tim Loughton MP to join us he very kindly spent time with our ‘funsters’ who I am sure Tim will agree gave him a run for his money with their very own Question time. Last year we even had an old boy drop in quite literally as co pilot Lt Ed Barnham RN landed his helicopter here for a visit. This year we are thrilled that Dave Benson Phillips  agreed to come along and cut our birthday cake and from his TV cooking experience he was no stranger  to getting sticky ! “

The children took  part in making and decorating the birthday cake in Holiday Club colours.

Each year there are over 300 children spend a big part of their holidays with us and they come back year after year.

"I can hardly believe it's been 18 years" commented Graham, "but it has been so rewarding to see all the happy faces over that time, and to work with some wonderful young Staff Teams, many of whom are former 'Funsters' themselves.  Our aim has always been to generate a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and then let the children choose what they do, from as wide a range of activities as possible.  We encourage them to try lots of different things, and I think parents appreciate our flexibility, allowing them to opt for anything from a half-day to all four weeks".