People urged to ‘rewild your inner child’ and get back into nature this June

Polling for the trusts found 59% of adults spent more than half of their free time outside in nature as younger children, in gardens, parks, fields or woods.

The vast majority of the more than 2,000 people surveyed by Savanta for the trusts had mostly positive memories of their childhood time outdoors.

People remember making obstacle courses in the rain, mud fights, windswept play on beaches, picking blackberries and looking at spiders, building dens in fields and woods and camps in abandoned allotments, and even falling in cowpats.

And nearly two thirds (64%) said thinking about childhood memories of being outdoors made them want to get back out and reconnect with nature, while four fifths of those with younger children said their reminiscences made them want their kids to experience the same.

People remember how free it felt to be a child, with woods and parks the most common natural “playgrounds” and imaginative adventure games and den building frequently mentioned, the Wildlife Trusts said.

But 44% of those polled say they now spend three hours or less of their free time each week outdoors in nature.

Dom Higgins, head of health and education at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Being outdoors in nature has so much joy to offer us all – fresh air, sunlight, birdsong and so many proven health benefits – and so the 30 Days Wild challenge in June is the perfect opportunity to unlock these once more, no matter your age.

“We’re urging people to spend a few minutes recalling a childhood memory of being outside and then to venture outdoors and experience nature once more.

“Taking a moment this June to rewild yourself can be as simple as stopping for a few deep breaths at your local park, scattering free wildflower seeds in your garden or window box, or lying on the ground looking up through the trees to the birds above.”

The Wildlife Trusts vice president Dr Amir Khan recalled how he did not have a garden at home, saying: “So when I was old enough to have my own bike – I must have been about seven or eight – I’d call on my friend Marvin and we’d ride to the woodlands and go nature spotting.

“We were two mates having real adventures. It felt free and exhilarating and when I went home and told my dad about what we’d seen, he’d be excited about it.”

He said it was great to have memories like that, adding: “How sad, though, that many people appear to be living indoor lives.

“I really hope this year’s 30 Days Wild gives us the opportunity to rekindle that lovely relationship with nature that many of us are lucky to have experienced as young children.”