Rosie Wrighting column: Looking forward to summer in Kettering, Rothwell, Desborough, Burton and the villages

I’ve loved spending summers in and around Kettering since I grew up playing in the Ford in Geddington, going for picnics in Wicksteed Park and doing the summer reading challenge at the library.

We have already started this summer off with a bang, with fantastic events like KettFest, SEND Fest and Desborough Carnival, where local people have come together to celebrate our local area and support our communities.

This summer, the Government have announced a temporary cut to VAT on kids’ menu meals, children’s cinema and theatre tickets, and tickets for attractions like soft play, adventure centres, and theme parks, so that families can enjoy discounted attractions and meals out, between 25th June and 1st September.

Children aged between 5 to 15 years’ old will also be able to travel free on local bus services throughout August, making it easier and more affordable for people to get out and about.

This will help families enjoy the weekend treats, the days out, and the small plans that make life enjoyable, while supporting the businesses that depend on summer footfall.

This scheme comes on top of the Labour government’s wider support to help families with the cost of living, which includes cutting £117 off of energy bills and freezing prescription charges, fuel duty and rail fares. Many families with children are also benefitting from Labour’s roll out of 30 hours of government-funded childcare, free breakfast clubs, and the extension of free school meals, meaning more money in parents’ pockets.

So whether you are planning a family picnic at Bands in the Park, a beachy day out at Kettering by the Sea, some delicious food at Love Kettering or visits to the reopened library, Manorfest or Little Stanion’s Summer Fest, I hope you get out and about and have a fantastic summer in and around Kettering, I know I will!