Children in Herefordshire go wild for play

Children in the north of Herefordshire are being encouraged to go wild this month as outdoor play rangers, WildPlay, have been commissioned by Herefordshire Council to run a four-week outdoor activity session for children and families at Wigmore Primary School and North Herefordshire’s Children’s Centre.

The project will involve children and families developing natural habitats for small animals, building play dens, holding bug hunts, making bird boxes and much, much more.

WildPlay is a voluntary organisation run by nature play rangers, based at Herefordshire Nature Trust.   Play rangers provide opportunities for children in Herefordshire to enjoy playing outdoors, explore the natural environment, make dens, climb trees, make things out of seeds and grasses and enjoy natural hide, slide, spy and seek places.  With a bit of imagination a boulder can be transformed into a tower, a fence into a fortress and a stream into raging rapids.

Play rangers support children and families by helping them to enjoy the great outdoor environment safely and creatively.  The north Herefordshire project also offers children time to explore and take part in challenging, risky play in supervised environment, which can vary from a green space on housing estate, to the wild woods.

“We are very excited to be offering our families access to this project,” said Kim Gristy, children’s centre manager.  She continue, “Our children’s centre has worked with WildPlay before and our families have always thoroughly enjoyed their sessions, so we are delighted to be joining Wigmore Primary School on this project.  The nice thing about this type of outdoor exploration is that children and families share what they learn in the activities and sessions with their friends and families at home”.