It’s disputed by none that children always find themselves short of activities during half term holidays, with the chorus of ‘I’m bored!’ having been endured by all parents during school breaks. But who’s to say that all hope is lost for the youngsters? With a few seconds’ worth of internet research, it’s easy to find what’s on offer for families in the local area.
I found that one of my local parks, Osterley Park and House, is hosting a wide array of activities during the half term break: from Buggyfit Osterley to ‘50 Things to do before you’re 11 3/4’ and the Craft Cart event, among others. Events which take place in National Trust Parks are generally centred on keeping children busy during the holiday period, as well as keeping adults fit and active. The ‘NightRun’ proved extremely popular with the local community: the official Osterley Park Twitter page is overfilled with families sharing their pictures from the event, having completed the 7km Adventure Course or 2km Explorer Course in the transition from dusk to dark in the wilderness of the park.
Upon visiting the park over the weekend to interview the locals and find out the activities taking place over the coming week, it was a great joy to see the sea of children enjoying the Hallowe’en activity of the day, their face painted mouths wide with excitement. Marian Brown posted a photo from “1 of the quieter moments from yesterday’s Halloween extravaganza: pumpkin carvings, face painting, craft” on Twitter, showing several families enjoying the event.
Kam S of the Lakeview Coffee Stop in the centre of the park expressed that having been stationed at the coffee stop for 6 years, he has seen that the annual events held at the park are “good for the community, good for the kids and good for business. It gives the kids something to do.”