Great British Summer Savings! What you need to know and how we can help you!

The Great British Summer Savings scheme is a government initiative created to help families manage the cost of school‑ holiday outings. By reducing the expense of eating out and enjoying leisure activities, the scheme aims to make family time more affordable throughout the summer.

From 25 June to 1 September 2026, families across the UK will benefit from a temporary cut in VAT (Value Added Tax) on children’s meals eaten in restaurants and on a wide range of family leisure activities. Instead of the standard 20% VAT rate, qualifying items will be charged at just 5%, giving families more room in their budgets to enjoy days out.

What qualifies for the 5% VAT rate?

  • Children’s restaurant meals — Only meals served on the premises from a clearly defined children’s menu that is marketed, presented, and priced as such.

  • Children’s and family tickets — Cinema, theatre, exhibitions, shows, and concerts.

  • Admission to attractions — Including amusement parks, fairs, circuses, museums, zoos, adventure parks, soft play centres, and observation attractions.

However, the rules vary depending on what’s being sold:

  • Pay‑-per‑-ride attractions are not included.

  • Children’s meals must come from a dedicated children’s menu, a smaller portion of an adult dish, a discounted adult meal, or takeaway food does not qualify.

  • Season tickets and annual passes are excluded unless they are priced the same as a single‑ entry ticket.

Because of these distinctions, many businesses will need to apply two different VAT rates on the same bill, increasing administrative complexity.

How can Colour Heroes help support the scheme?

Colour Heroes can help visitor attractions make the most of the Great British Summer Savings scheme by creating engaging, family‑-friendly printed and digital materials that highlight the reduced‑-VAT offers, promote your attraction, boost footfall, and enhance the visitor experience, all aligned with the scheme’s goal of increasing family days out through lower costs.

 1. Family activity trails to encourage family visits

Colour Heroes specialise in resources to engage families, including family trail sheets, interpretation boards, and signage that:

  • Engage with a family audience and increase visitor numbers

  • Encourage visitors to explore more areas of your attraction

  • Increase dwell time and secondary spend

  • Provide added value that aligns with the scheme’s goal of helping families “make memories” for less

2. Bespoke activity books and guidebooks

Colour Heroes illustrated children’s activity books:

  • Feature puzzles, facts, and characters bespoke to your attraction

  • Encourage engagement and loyalty, leading to repeat visits

  • Support the government’s aim to boost summer footfall

  • Create opportunities to upsell and increase revenue by selling bespoke books in shops, cafés, or in entrance areas

3. Bespoke visitor maps

Colour Heroes illustrated maps are designed bespoke to your site to showcase your attraction including:

  • Areas suitable for families

  • Seasonal events or zones families can enjoy at lower cost

  • Cross -promotion of events to encourage return visits

  • Free-‑to‑-access areas to help families manage budgets, this aligns with the scheme’s focus on easing household pressures

4. Marketing packs

Attractions must clearly communicate the VAT reduction to maximise uptake. Colour Heroes can produce:

  • Posters, leaflets, and signage

  • Social‑ media‑-ready graphics

  • On‑-site banners

  • Branding and logo design

  • “What you save today” info cards to help operators meet expectations to pass savings on to visitors.

5. Travel-‑linked family guides for free August bus travel

Since children aged 5–15 travel free on local buses in England during August, Colour Heroes can create:

  • “How to get here for free” guides

  • Bus‑ route -themed activity sheets

  • Sustainable‑-travel family packs, this supports the scheme’s aim of making days out more accessible.

6. Children’s menus

The VAT reduction on children’s meals must be on a clearly defined children’s menu that is marketed, presented, and priced as such. Colour Heroes can offer:

  • Bespoke activity place mats including menus

  • Bespoke children’s menus

  • Bespoke activity packs and bags, printed in food-safe ink making them ideal for children’s lunch packs

  • A range of off-the-shelf activity packs and activity sheets that can be personalised with your own menu

7. Educational packs that add value without adding cost

Since the scheme aims to help families enjoy “life’s little treats” despite rising costs, attractions can use Colour Heroes’ educational packs to:

  • Provide curriculum‑-linked learning

  • Support school‑ holiday engagement

  • Offer free enrichment that boosts perceived value

 

Find out how our family‑-focused resources can elevate your visitor experience. To book an appointment with Lorraine, call us on 01347 824 459 or email our friendly team at info@colourheroes.com.

Helen Middleton