Should children go wild in the country?

CHILDREN have been told to go outside and get dirty by the National Trust.

The organisation is to launch a Wild Child campaign this summer in a bid to curb childhood obesity and ignorance about nature.

A recent survey found while most children knew what a dalek was, few could identify a barn owl.

Reasons for a more sedentary lifestyle include parental fears about stranger danger, physical harm while playing childhood games and even avoiding getting designer clothes dirty.

BEATRIZ AYALA went to Uppermill to find out what people thought.

MICHAEL McClenan (73), from Uppermill, has six grandchildren and is determined to get them enjoying the outdoors.



He said: “With the four and five-year-olds, I wouldn’t let them go out unaccompanied. Children can’t be left to their own devices so it’s down to the parents.

“They should get involved and take their children out. We were up on Mam Tor in Derbyshire with the five-year-old on Friday.

“The main problem is if we take them to the park and another youngster wants us to put them on a swing, you are frightened to do that. It’s the blame culture.”

Siobhan McKenna (29), from Oldham, fears children who are kept indoors will not be equipped to cope with life’s lessons.

She said: “We always used to be out as a child. Youngsters should be allowed to play out and parents not to worry.

“We learned common sense from being outside. Children now might think they are grown up but might not be able to cope should something happen.”

Sonya Greenwood (28), from Sale, said the loss of green space affects where a child can play.

She said: “Where I used to live, there used to be lots of fields and now there are loads of houses there.

“Parents nowadays can’t let children roam free.

“When I was a child there were no mobile phones, you went out with a group of friends and only came back for tea.”

Beryl Wood (63), from Delph, is grandmother to Sam Haigh who celebrates his second birthday in three weeks.

She said: “For his brother James’s fifth birthday, we held a party at the Brownhill Centre so all the children who came could take part in nature trails and digging for worms.

“He loves the daleks but he also loves nature.”

Her husband Gordon Wood (69) said bad news on television made people more fearful.

He said: “We would wander for the day until it went dark and you came home. It’s not the same now. TV creates more problems because everyone hears about the things that go on.”

Talitha Henderson (35), from Chadderton, said she was happy for her two-year-old son Mason to get muddy.

She said: “Mason loves jumping in puddles, I don’t mind him getting dirty.

“There was nothing to do when I was growing up, that’s why I want him out as much possible.

“But you can’t leave children anywhere now. I see six-year-old children walking home from school and I think, ‘why is a six year old doing that?’, even though it used to be fine.”

Karen McCormick (42), from Astley, is mother to three-year-old Luke and said both councils and schools should get involved.

She said: “I think the campaign is an excellent idea. Local authorities need to do more planned activities in the holidays because often both parents are busy working.

“It is not safe these days to let children out and a big thing is stranger danger.

“Children have also got to go further to find space to climb trees. Schools could be a bit more proactive and incorporate nature into lessons by teaching them outside.”

Chris Haynes (54), from Ashton, has two children, Callum (5) and a 16-year-old son.

He said: “Both myself and my wife are very worried about the computer generation. We do try and get a balance and get them out. As a child, we used to play in gangs of 12, go off for miles and never thought about the dangers.

“Now you are worried scared about them, I wouldn’t let him off the leash like I was.”

Mr Haynes said there was also a lack of tolerance for children. He said: “I know friends who live in a cul-de-sac and children aren’t allowed to play because of the noise they will make.”