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Wild Night Out – will you get involved?

 

Announcing Britain’s First National Day of Adventure, encouraging you and your family to have a Wild Night Out.

Do you remember climbing trees, kayaking down rivers, riding your bike all day? Ask anyone over 30 for their fondest childhood memories and most will talk about outdoor adventure. But now most of us can’t find the time to fit adventure into our over-busy modern lives. And what will the kids of today have to remember, now that the proportion of children regularly playing in wild places has fallen from over half to under 1 in 10 since the 1980s?

On 16th July Britain will celebrate its first national day of adventure: ‘˜Wild Night Out‘.  And everyone’s invited.

There’s a wealth of scientific studies suggesting that the outdoors is good for your mind and body. But last year a report showed that only 8.9m Brits (14% of us) are currently active outdoors but that twice as many (18.2m) who are not active outdoors want to re-engage.

A step in the right direction is to designate a national day for adventure. Wild Night Out is designed to inspire everyone to get outdoors, to raise awareness and to raise funds to help disadvantaged kids do the same. Its easy to get involved, whether you camp in your garden with the kids, hike up a mountain with some mates or try a new outdoors activity. Ideas of how you can get involved are on the website Wild Night Out.

It is supported by a host of adventure stars:

Sir Ranulph Fiennes said: ‘œWild Night Out inspires adventure in everyone and gives disadvantaged young people a chance to do the same.’

Felicity Aston MBE, who in 2012 became the first woman to ski alone across Antarctica, said: ‘œWhether your plans are big or small, the laughs, the stories (and perhaps the epic mishaps!) from this one night will be something you remember and share for a long time to come. This is an opportunity not to be missed!’

Some chimp called Alastair Humphreys agrees: ‘œI’mm delighted to see Wild Night Out working on such an important matter. When I was a child I benefited hugely from being able to roam wild, exploring woods, hills and rivers with my brother and friends. It’s important for children’s physical health, to teach them to take and measure risk, to learn to appreciate and conserve our wild places and to have fun as well.’

Guinness World Record Holding Explorer and Founder of Wild Night Out, Belinda Kirk said: ‘œFewer children and adults are accessing the outdoors than ever before. As a nation we’re missing out on the challenge, connection with nature, wellbeing and fun that comes from being active outside. I’mve spent 20yrs taking groups on adventures and I’mve seen it change people’s lives for the better again and again. We’re loosing touch with the most natural source of wellbeing on the planet.’

Wild Night Out is a project led by Belinda Kirk and a host of adventure stars to raise money for the Youth Adventure Trust, a charity set up in 1992 to give young people the hope, confidence and life skills to meet the challenges in their lives and build trust and motivation through adventure.

More information about Youth Adventure Trust can be found here.

Amateur adventurers are currently taking on immense challenges in support of Wild Night Out. Eg Former IT Engineer Paul Boardman is walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats taking a long route, and Kent doctor Chris Markwick is walking across the Pyrenees mountains, from France’s west coast to the Mediterranean coast in the east. A huge Stand up Paddleboard flotilla is planned in Bristol and there are family bushcraft nights around the country.

For more information contact belinda@explorersconnect.com or call 07990710304

Why not get involved yourself? 

Find out more at www.wildnightout.org  or via the social media hashtag #wildnightout

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  1. Yea .. I will

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