Fun and games for everybody
The National Trust has a fantastic line up of summer activities to keep your whole family entertained
COME out and play – the National Trust wants everybody out-and-about and active.
The sun’s out (most of the time), we’re all looking for things to do, so what better way to embrace the fresh air and the great outdoors than spending time together in one of its amazing locations.
Whether you want to enjoy an al fresco performance, get arty and crafty, try your hand at being Robin Hood, or just roll down a grassy hill, the Trust has got tons for families to enjoy from now until the kids go back to school.
More than 140 houses, gardens and parks are celebrating a Summer of Sport with events and dropin activities. So if the Commonwealth Games have spurred you on, this could be for you.
Thanks to support from Sport England, drop-in ‘come out and play’ sports sessions include archery and athletics, hopscotch and hockey, and with most sessions free to enjoy, you don’t have to book weeks in advance – or even at all.
There are nine one-of-a-kind art installations which invite families to look at nature with fresh eyes.
And, with everything from Shakespeare to Disney, outdoor theatre and cinema is making a return too. There are pop-up pavilions of play with a family-festival feel to seashore safaris, interactive storytelling, and open-air theatre productions.
“We’re using play as a way to encourage families to head outside and spend some time getting to know the beauty of the world all around them,” says Amy Eastwood, cultural programming manager at the National Trust. “There’s been a lot of research about the connection between enjoying moments in nature and feelings of wellbeing, and we hope that families visiting National Trust places this summer and taking part in our playful events and activities will leave with spirits lifted, feeling more connected to each other and the natural world.”