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Free summer fun for the kids and you

   

NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 191/09
Date: 12 August 2009

This summer everyone is feeling the pinch of the credit crunch and it can be hard to know where to take the kids so they have a great time, but you keep the pounds in your pocket.

The new Muck In4Life campaign (run by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) has the answer. You can log in to the website and find a place near you where the whole family can go, relax and have a fun time by volunteering with a charity to help your local environment. There are some great activities on offer – from spotting wildlife, clearing hedges, making bird feeders, and putting on the waders to clear ponds.

All the activities are supervised, and are health and  safety checked so you can relax and get stuck in with the kids. They will be off the sofa, doing something fun and active, which is good for their health as well as your wallet.

One of the nation’s favourite actresses  - Caroline Quentin - is backing the campaign.

She said:

"I love the idea of families and people of all ages getting their hands mucky in the countryside by doing something to make our beautiful countryside even better. I hope everyone finds something to take their fancy through Muck In4Life and volunteers to make a difference to our animals, landscape and nature."

Loads of families are already taking part, from grandparents in Grantham to uncles in Upminster – teenagers in Torquay and Scouts in Stockton. Everyone is doing their bit to help the environment and do something different this summer holiday. Organisations who are signed up to Muck in4Life and are delighted to see new volunteers include: National Trust, Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust, British Trust of Conversation Volunteers, the RSPB and the Marine Conservation Society and many more. From beaches to bracken you could be making the famous English countryside even more beautiful and it is an experience the kids will remember forever.

And there’s more – you could win £500 of high street shopping vouchers with the Muck In4Life photography competition. This is for all the budding snap happy David Baileys and young photographers out there. The winners will get the vouchers, but will also have their photos displayed at world famous Kew Gardens. And as there is an special under 16s category mum and dad can send in their own photos without stiff competition from the kids!

One of the families taking part in Muck In4Life is the Worth family from North Devon. They volunteer with the RSPB. Nigel, Sara and their children  Jess and Georgia have worked as volunteers at the Chapel Wood reserve for over ten years.  They are regularly joined by Sara’s parents Roger and Vicky.

Dad Nigel said:

“It started with my late father, who was a life-long nature lover and warden at Chapel Wood for many years. We would go and help him and when the girls were only two or three they would come along and learn about nature.  His passion for wildlife inspired us all.”

Mum Sara said:

“Now the girls are in their teens they have many more commitments, but they are still as enthusiastic as ever and come out to the Woods to help whenever they can.  We go there at least once a week. There is always a lot to do.  Branches over paths have to be cut back, paths cleared and brambles strimmed.  We also repair steps, look after about 30 nest boxes and clear ditches.”

15 year old Jess said:

"I like being involved in the RSPB. Being able to make a difference,  improving the wood and making it better for people to enjoy. I learned a lot from my granddad about wildlife, about plants, birds and nesting.  It has definitely made me more interested in biology and I might go on and study it.”

Grandmother Vicky said:

"The wood has a healing effect and you get lost in your own world working there. It's lovely to make a difference, so visitors can also enjoy the reserve. It's nice to do something as a family".

Notes to editors

  1. For a photo of the Worth family doing their volunteering please contact Rachel Clark on 020 7238 5599 or Susan Crown on 0207 238 5054 / susan.crown@defra.gsi.gov.uk
  2. Muck In4Life is the Defra campaign which supports the Department of Health’s Change4Life campaign and is supported by a wide range of environmental stakeholders. It encourages biodiversity by highlighting the fun and enjoyment which comes from being active and volunteering outdoors in the fresh air to help conserve wildlife, landscape, parks, gardens and other green spaces. 
  3. To find out about conservation volunteering near you around the country please go to www.direct.gov.uk/muckin4life
  4. The Muck In4Life photo competition is being run in association with the International Garden Photographer of the Year and Kew Gardens, looking for an overall Conservation Photographer of the Year as well as regional winners and an under 16 years category. This competition celebrates the conservation volunteering experience and entrants can submit their photos through www.direct.gov.uk/muckin4life

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Page published: 12 August 2009