Blakemore Retail Teams Up with NSPCC for Home or Out Alone Campaign

July 09, 2021

Blakemore Retail has teamed up with the NSPCC to help parents decide if their children are ready to stay home or go out alone.

The business has donated £50,000 from its NSPCC fundraising efforts to the charity's ‘Home or Out Alone’ campaign, which aims to help parents make the right decision about leaving their children at home safely or letting them leave the house unsupervised – a tricky decision for parents and carers to make that will differ from child to child.

As the UK looks ahead to further easing of Covid-19 restrictions and the start of the school summer holidays, the new resources aim to provide families with helpful advice to keep their children safe.

Between work, appointments and other family commitments, every parent will have to leave their child home alone at some point. As children get older, it’s common for them to want more freedom and to learn to be independent.

The NSPCC’s new guide is designed to reduce any worry by helping parents make the right decision for them and their child. The guide includes:

• Things to think about before parents decide if their children are ready to be independent or not
• Checklists to help keep children safe when others are not around
• Advice for leaving children under another trusted adult’s supervision
• Extra support to help parents make decisions

There's no legal age a child can be left home alone as every child matures differently, but it’s against the law to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk. A child who doesn’t feel comfortable shouldn’t be left alone.

The campaign also gives advice to parents and carers on issues surrounding safety, boundaries and building trust.

As well as donating £50,000 to the cause, Blakemore Retail will also be promoting the campaign to parents in SPAR stores through posters and flyers.

Blakemore Retail recently celebrated its 16th year of partnership with the NSPCC with birthday parties across its SPAR stores, raising more than £35,000 over the May Bank Holiday weekend. 

Blakemore Retail Managing Director Matt Teague said: “The NSPCC does invaluable work to change children’s lives for the better, and we are incredibly proud to be partnered with them.  

“We are very pleased to be working together on the Home or Out Alone campaign. Learning to be independent is an important part of growing up, but there can be a lot to think about for parents.

“We hope the resources and campaign will support families in making these important decisions, particularly those in the communities around our SPAR stores who have contributed towards this campaign by supporting our fundraising efforts.”

Find out more about the campaign by visiting nspcc.org.uk/safe-alone. 

Click here to view the Home or Out Alone guide

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