The Angling Trust has joined a major movement to reverse the generational decline in children’s connection to nature.
The Wild Network, a rapidly growing movement of more than 1000 organisations, large and small, is leading a campaign calling for at least 30 minutes more wild time for every child, every day.
The Angling Trust is joined in the Network by the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “We are proud to be part of the Wild Network. Spending time outdoors is good for kids’ health and wellbeing – and good for the environment, too!“
“At the Angling Trust we are encouraging families to get outdoors together this summer and give fishing a try in partnership with the charity Get Hooked on Fishing via our Family Fishing campaign (#familyfishing) which is hosting several large FREE regional events around the country.”
Andy Simpson, Chair of the Wild Network, said: “The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. “
“Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining [6] and the ability to identify common species has been lost [9]. “
“New research by the RSPB and University of Essex illustrates the scale of the challenge with only one in five (21 per cent) children aged eight to twelve years old having a connection with nature. “
“An extra thirty minutes of wild time every day for all under 12-year olds in the UK would be the equivalent of just three months of their childhood spent outdoors.”
The Network is supporting the compelling new feature documentary PROJECT WILD THING [12].
Three years in the making, Project Wild Thing takes a funny and moving look at one of the most complex issues of the age – the increasingly fragile link between children and nature.
In a bid to get his daughter and son off the sofa and outdoors, filmmaker and father David Bond appoints himself as the Marketing Director for Nature. He wants his brand – nature – to stand out from the crowd of brands competing for their attention.
David works with branding and outdoor experts to develop and launch a campaign to get children outdoors and into nature – the ultimate, free, wonder-product.
Filmmaker and star of Project Wild Thing, David Bond, said: “I wanted to understand why my children’s childhood is so different from mine, whether this matters and if it does, what I can do about it.”
“Project Wild Thing isn’t some misty eyed nostalgia for the past; we need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine and giving everyone the opportunity to become Marketing Directors for Nature.”
The discussion about swapping screen time for wild time will continue on twitter via the feed @wearewildthing and using the hashtag #wildtime.
