Have an icky sticky summer with National Trust

It’s official - the stick is this summer’s must-have item! With the power to unleash every child’s imagination, the humble stick can be transformed into a wand, a way marker, a sword or a wild animal. Sticks are also essential tools for trying many of the ‘50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾’ activities.

Research commissioned for the National Trust revealed that over 82 per cent of parents in the South West felt that the stick is the perfect catalyst for inspiring their children’s creative urges. In this region, children today spend about half the time playing outdoors that their parents did (4.4 hours/week vs. 7.7 hours/week). This is on par with the national findings, despite the South West being thought of as a particularly outdoorsy place to live.

This summer the National Trust hopes to inspire kids all over the South West to get outdoors, find their perfect stick and start an adventure in nature. Sticks are free, easy to find and offer adventures right on your doorstep. You could head to the local park, a National Trust woodland or simply your own back garden.

Find out what's on across the South West for a nature-fuelled day out here.