Kids Eat Free

It's the school holidays and the Damson Dene is full to bursting with families and their young children. From reception to the gardens, from the bedrooms to the hallways and even under tables in the dining room, kids are everywhere, pushing the staff to the limits. Checking in this week are four families desperately in need of a break from the pressures of everyday life. But with noise levels on the rise and flies irritating both staff and guests, will their stay in the Lake District deliver the stress-free holiday they're after? The hotel is stretched when one of Britain's largest families comes to stay: Kate and Ian, their two dogs and seven daughters aged 14 and under. With so many kids, they've named their daughters alphabetically, and keeping track of all their ages is tricky. And the family is about to get even bigger. With yet another baby on the way, Kate and Ian are especially in need of a few days away. They're regular guests as few hotels so readily accommodate such a large family, but here at the Damson Dene, the staff set about juggling furniture and filling the two rooms with extra beds in a bid to squeeze everyone in. And parenting is proving hectic for Alistair and Emma, who've come to the hotel with 18-month-old Connor and three-month-old Cameron. He might not have officially reached the 'terrible twos', but Connor is definitely giving his parents the run-around. Meal times are proving especially chaotic - and potentially embarrassing - as young Connor causes a scene over dinner. But with the hotel full of other people's kids, some of the staff are missing their own. Kate, the restaurant supervisor, pines for her five-year-old son who she's recently left in Poland for an extended holiday with his grandparents. And hotel manager Wayne reveals a startling truth about his own childhood.