Sunderland business boss urges the Government to 'take notice' of her return-to-work plea

Company founder and mum of two Fiona Simpson is asking the government to urgently consider the children’s activities industry.

Her call comes after she claimed her industry remains locked down following the coronavirus pandemic and has been ignored in the recent rules relaxing some of the restrictions.

Fiona is the founder and managing director of ARTventurers, a company that runs art and creative play classes for children across the UK, including franchises in Wearside, South Tyneside, and Hartlepool.

Its head office is in the Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland. The business and its 37 franchise branches have not been able to operate since March 17.

Businesses like hers, said Fiona, are now ‘left in a really difficult situation as the government has failed to release any guidance on when and how classes for children can safely reopen.

“There are over 40,000 businesses operating in the industry, employing nearly 300,000 people” said Fiona.

“Right now, classes and clubs for children are more important as ever before, as they provide vital opportunities for children to socialise, develop key skills, build confidence and promote good mental health and wellbeing.

“From music and yoga to art, sports and language, classes like ARTventurers have been left in limbo as the government doesn’t seem to know that the sector exists and there’s so much confusing information out there.”Fiona sits on the board of the Children’s Activities Association and has been involved in the publication of the Association’s own guide for children’s activity providers on how they can implement safety measures and look to reassure customers when they are able to reopen.She added: “In the absence of specific guidance from the government, we’ve had to work on producing our own, taking information from hospitality and educational sectors and looking at the general public health advice.

“But it’s not ideal and what we urgently need is some official confirmation and an opening date from the government just like other sectors like pubs, restaurants and beauty have been given so that we can tell our customers and the children who come along to our classes when we’re going to be back.”

Fiona added: “We’re getting so many messages from parents all the time who are desperate for their children to get back to ARTventurers so it would be great to have some good news to tell them.”Fiona is now involved in a lobbying campaign to be launched in conjunction with the Children’s Activities Association, asking for action from the government.

“It’s also vital for our members, who are all small business owners, to have some certainty and some hope for the future,” she said.

“It’s been a really worrying time for us all as business owners and we just hope the government will take notice and allow us to get back to what we do best, delivering fun and educational sessions for the youngest generation”.

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