They play, you pay. And places are going fast

They play, you pay. And places are going fast

It's not too late for parents who are looking for child care and entertainment that keeps young kids safe and teenagers occupied during the long summer holiday. While schemes are filling up fast, there are still places available around the country if you get in quick.

The bad news is quality doesn't come cheap. The overall average holiday childcare cost for England now stands at £91.56 per week, a rise of 10.1% since last year, according to the charity Daycare Trust.

In practice prices vary a lot depending on availability and competition and who runs it - schemes subsidised by local authorities or not-for-profit charities are often considerably cheaper than those run by private companies, for example. And, at this late stage, when some privately run schemes particularly are offering cut-price places, it's always worth asking if they can give you a last-minute discount.

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Places at popular, value-for-money schemes are obviously quickly filled. For example, the 24 places for four- to 11-year-olds at the Tiger Alley Holiday Club at the Carousel Children's Centre in Braintree, Essex (01376 556864), are nearly fully booked. Run by the charity 4Children (formerly Kids' Clubs Network) and now in its second summer, it charges a comparatively reasonable £18 for an 8am-6pm day including breakfast, tea, snacks and drinks and a full programme of activities based on requests from parents and children. Flexible to the needs of working parents, it also offers morning or afternoon sessions at £9 or 9.30-3.30 at £11.

At the other end of the age scale, 13-19 year olds are offered a very affordable summer programme of workshops and residential trips at Heatham House Youth Centre in Twickenham, West London (020 8288 0950; visit heathamhouse.org.uk) where some places are still available.

Run by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the biggest youth centres in London, it's offering various week-long workshops including music video production, sports and fitness, graffiti art, streetdance and drama at just £2 per four-hour session. Multi-activity residential trips are also on offer at £50 for a week including accommodation, food and travel, and local youngsters can attend free drop-in social sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a £2 annual membership.

To find out what's on offer in your area, contact your local authority. Families Information Service (call 0800 234 6346 for the phone number of your nearest FIS) or the charity 4Children's information line on 020 7512 2100. You can also get a listing of of your local school holiday schemes by using the search facility under the "Parents" section of direct.gov.uk.

A number of organisations, mainly private companies, offer activity clubs and residential holidays which are generally more expensive but worth considering if you can afford it.

The website of the British Activity Holiday Association (baha.org.uk), the trade association for private activity holiday companies, includes a list of providers, some of which are offering late booking discounts.

Camp Beaumont (01603 660 333; campbeaumont.co.uk) for example, offers various residential activity holidays at six centres around the UK catering for seven- to 17-year-olds. Prices are normally £459 per week per child but places reduced by £100 are available in its Norfolk, Northumberland and South Yorkshire centres.

Mill on the Brue (01749 812307; millonthebrue.co.uk), a family-run, not-for-profit educational organisation offering residential adventure camps for eight- to 15-year-olds at its 20-acre site in Somerset is also offering £100-per-child discounts on weeks normally costing £468 each in August plus "two children for the price of one" deals.

If you've got a child with a particular interest, be it drama, football, archery, dance or circus skills, check out local newspapers, community centre noticeboards and libraries for specialist courses run by individual interest clubs or societies. It's also worth contacting local clubs or national sports associations to see if they run anything in your area. Here are some examples, but be warned they may already have run out of places:

· Drama and dance African themed summer school for five- to 16-year-olds run by the Theatre Cats Stage School in Newhall, Derbyshire. 11-15 August. Cost £97. (theatrecats.co.uk)

· Northampton Saints RFC Rugby Academies: three-day courses thoughout summer for seven- to 16-year-olds. Cost £87.50. (northamptonsaints.co.uk)

· Multi-Watersports weeks for seven- to 15-year-olds at Watersports Centre at Rutland Water. Cost £165. (uppinghamsummerschool.co.uk)

· Bradford Council Sport and Leisure Service is running Football Funweeks for five- to 13-year-olds. Five days from 10am-3pm, £50. Call 01274 522750.

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