00:00It's a great big park, it's beautiful, but it's too hot to play out there.
00:04It's the summer holidays, but rather than play out in the sun,
00:08the ongoing heatwave and weather warnings have meant that children are advised to stay indoors.
00:14But what do you do if there's no parents at home and that isn't an option?
00:18Now children at the Zone Youth Club in Broadstairs usually play outside all summer.
00:30But this summer, they've been needing to have to sit in the shade.
00:34Victoria runs a youth centre that during the summer holidays can look after several children for over four hours a
00:41day, every day.
00:43Which is a challenge in itself, without also navigating record-breaking temperatures.
00:49This year, literally from day one, when it was so hot, we had to review a sun policy.
00:57We've had to buy extra sun cream.
01:00We've had UV bracelets for the kids to wear just to warn them to put sun cream on.
01:06And the responsibility of when we've got 20 or 30 children here,
01:11of making sure that they're having drinks frequently, that they're coming in from the hot sun,
01:17is an added responsibility for us and it's a bit of a concern.
01:22Rather than being able to play tennis or football all day,
01:25children are being encouraged to take on more leisurely activities,
01:30such as making clay pots that are then able to take advantage of the heat by drying out in the
01:36sun.
01:36Would you sit in the shade and wish you could play tennis or football and that it wasn't so hot?
01:42Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I like the hot, but when I'm just sitting in the shade,
01:46I could be out there playing football right now or I could be out there playing rounders.
01:50Sometimes it makes me feel a bit sad that it's so hot.
01:55Due to climate change, the hot weather is likely here to stay in Kent,
02:00which, for Victoria, means figuring out how to heatwave-proof the youth centre
02:05to prioritise the children's welfare while also working under a budget.
02:10A proper air conditioning unit is hugely expensive and it's something that we probably have to think about,
02:17not necessarily for this summer now, it would be too late, but for next year,
02:21if this sort of weather is going to continue, it's something that we seriously have to think about.
02:25And we're talking hundreds and hundreds, if not more.
02:28And it's money as a small independent youth club that we just don't have.
02:32It's a lot to sweat about and, unfortunately, cooler weather seems far away.
02:38Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Broadstairs.
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