The long summer holidays can be a mixed blessing for parents and children alike. For youngsters, the sense of freedom and excitement tends to have turned into terminal boredom after the first three days; for parents the prospect of having to come up with six week’s worth of entertainment can be daunting.
Fear not. There are literally hundreds of child-friendly activities going on throughout the county and elsewhere in July and August. Many of these, such as the excellent Reccy Rangers and Xtreme schemes run by Shropshire Council, are free.
Here’s The Review’s selection of a few ideas to keep the kids happy and the adults sane over the next few weeks.
BURWARTON SHOW
The Band of Scots Guards is the headline attraction at Burwarton Show
The Burwarton agricultural show is a great day out for the whole family.
Held on the first Thursday in August every year, the one-day event regularly attracts some 20,000 visitors.
This year’s headline attraction is the Band of the Scots Guards, and further Main Ring entertainment is provided by the Bob Hogg Sheepdog Display and the Whitchurch Dog Display Teams.
There is something to watch throughout the day from 8.15am, including heavy horses, open jumping, fancy dress, the grand parade of prizewinning animals, concours d’elegance, private driving, vintage tractors, foxhounds and beagles, and Ludlow Pony Club.
There are horse classes in the Pool Field and stalls to browse among the trade stands and marquees.
Burwarton Show will be held on Thursday 5 August off the B4364 at Cleobury North between Bridgnorth and Ludlow. Preshow tickets are available.
For further details go to the website at www.burwartonshow.co.uk or telephone 01746 787535.
HANDS-ON HISTORY
The Black Country Museum has plenty to offer all the family in the form of good old fashioned fun.
Visitors of all ages can experience a trip on a tramcar, a lesson in the Victorian school room or a tour of the underground coal mine.
The museum’s costumed characters share fascinating tales as they go about their everyday lives in the shops, houses and workplaces in the canalside village.
There is also a chance for some hands-on craft-making projects in the school including writing with old-fashioned pen and ink and paper crafts.
Staff will demonstrate favourite pastimes and activities to entertain the young and the young at heart with hopscotch, skipping, whip and top, hoops and skittles, pick up sticks and parlour games.
Fizzog Theatre Company will be treading the boards at the attraction over the summer break and will shine the spotlight on school holiday activities from Saturday 24 July to Sunday 5 September.
The highly acclaimed theatre group will showcase its unique brand of regional humour and street theatre in its performance of a Black Country play set at the beginning of the 20th century and bring social history to life in the museum’s cobbled street.
For further information contact 0121-557-9643 or see www.bclm.co.uk
RIDING HIGH
Cycling-mad kids of all ages can take advantage of a new Shropshire mountain bike and outdoor activity centre which will open in August.
The £30,000 complex, built behind the Station Inn in Marshbrook, near Church Stretton, is expected to attract cycling enthusiasts from across the country and is believed to be the only facility of its kind in Shropshire.
It will boast natural trails for mountain bikers of all abilities across the Long Mynd with a shower block for cooling off after an exhilarating ride and a bike wash. There are also navigating, orienteering and walking tasks available.
The whole experience includes a campsite and camping pods, while a listed barn has been converted into a mountain bike shop and cafe.
For details visit www.mtbshropshire.co.uk
FOLK FUN
Shrewsbury Folk Festival caters for all ages with a comprehensive programme for young children, as well as youth festival, Refolkus. Children’s activities include workshops, circus skills and joining Sunshine Arts for rhymes, tongue twisters, stories and games.
Pete White’s Suitcase Circus is one of the highlights of the festival, providing lots of spinning, juggling and balancing tricks with lots of audience participation. He is very, very funny too – not to be missed.
Professor Panic presents the Panic Family Circus with a versatile and flexible team of instructors and performers and Off Our Trolley Carnival and
Community Arts uses re-cycled supermarket shopping trolleys to build push along Carnival floats.
Refolkus is aimed at ages 12- 25 and include singing dancing, samba drumming, sword dancing and willow sculpture.
For more information go to www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk where tickets can be booked online.
LEGOLAND
Amelia with brother Adam Edwards before they set off on their Legoland adventure
A family visit to Legoland, Windsor, inspired this review from eight-year-old Amelia Edwards of Bridgnorth....
“Legoland was the best time of my life ever. We went to lots of places there like Miniland, the Lego cars (where I got my driving licence), a pirate show, the 4D theatre to see SPELLBREAKER which was really, really good because there was effects like winds when the bad spell was cast, snowy stuff when the snow storm was on the 3D movie and some wind as well.
At the Lego cars there were traffic lights, zebra crossings and lots of roundabouts to drive around.
We then went to see a pirate show called, The Pirates of Skeleton Bay
“It was also really good. There was a big pond and a light-house then three of the pirates jumped off there. The sound-effects were really funny as well. Just after that we went on another ride it was a safari one. There were lots of jungle animals made out of Lego, the best animal was the huge black panther that was life size and it had glowing green eyes. On the ride you had to go with a grown up soI went with mummy. Also on the ride we had to spot some dinosaurs, there were four that we had to spot and we had our photo taken too.
“In Miniland we saw lots of different country parts like London, Cornwall, Scotland, Holland, France, England, U.S.A, Russia and more. There were bridges that opened up when the remote-controlled boats were coming through them and some real-life ducks were there to and they kept coming through the bridges.
Next we went to the Biiiiiiig Lego shop where you could buy lots of Lego sets to build.
“There were Lego statues of Buzz Lightyear, Woody (both from toy story), Hagrid and Harry Potter. Hagrid was absolutely ginormous, he was even bigger than daddy. We all agreed it was one of the most fantastic, happiest and adventurist day of our lives and we really enjoyed it.”
Details: www.legoland.co.uk
DUDMASTON SUMMER FUN
The Dudmaston Estate, near Bridgnorth, is launching its summer fun programme, with lots of family events taking place during the school summer holidays.
Visitors enjoying a teddy bears picnic at Dudmaston
Activities kick off on 27 and 28 July with Mr Babbage’s Science Laboratory.
Children and parents will enjoy lots of fun experiments whilst learning about Charles Babbage, who lived at Dudmaston Hall and was the creator of the first ever computer the ‘Counting Machine’.
On 2 and 4 August there will be a celebration of children’s literature with Storybook Days.
Follow your favourite fictional characters on a trail around the gardens, play Alice in Wonderland-themed croquet and settle down for story book time.
There will also be craft activities, books for sale and an opportunity to be taught how to draw cartoon strips with professional guidance. Children who arrive in fancy dress as their favourite fictional character, will have the chance to win a prize.
Families are invited to take along teddies and food hampers on 9 and 11 August for Dudmaston’s Teddy Bear’s Picnics.
Wildlife lovers can join head forester Mike Annis on the hunt for dragonflies on the 16 and 18 August and there will be Wildlife Days on the 23 and 25 August.
Normal admission prices to the house and garden apply. Additional charges may apply for some activities.
For further event information please call 01746 780866 or visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dudmaston
GETTING UP STEAM!
Getting up close and personal with some glorious steam engines and beautifully preserved classic and historic vehicles must be most schoolboys’ dream of the perfect day out.
And for those who love the romance of transport from a bygone era, this year’s August Bank Holiday’s County of Salop Steam Engine Society’s Rally at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury, will be just the ticket.
The two-day festival, to be staged on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August, will also feature the Golden Age of Victorian Farming where a number of working machines will evoke the sights and sounds of the countryside of yesteryear.
“The rally offers ideal entertainment for the family with lots of activities to enjoy,” said organiser Derek Whitefoot. “It is a lovely way for families to spend the weekend.”
For further details visit the website at www.shrewsburysteamrally.co.uk
A FARE DEAL
CHILDREN’S fares on the Severn Valley Railway are being slashed for the duration of the school summer holidays, from £8 for the full-line round trip, to just £1.
The railway’s ‘Kids for a Quid’ promotion, which runs for almost six weeks until 31 August, in conjunction with free admission to the SVR’s Engine House Visitor Centre at Highley for ticketholders, is aimed at easing the strain on family budgets.
Announcing the move, SVR general manager Nick Ralls explained: “We know that keeping children entertained during the long summer holidays puts families under a lot of strain, and we’re very aware that whatever the pundits might be saying, for many people the recession is far from over.”
To qualify, children aged four to 15 years, need only be accompanied by a fare-paying adult who buys a return ticket to travel on the line.
PARTY IN THE PARK
Join Justin Fletcher (‘Mr Tumbles’ of CBeebies’ Gigglebiz) at Bridgnorth’s Severn Park on 21 and 22 August for a party which includes arena displays, pony rides, live music, a funfair, stalls, food and lots more. Admission £3.
See www.sbevents.co.uk
FREE FUN FOR ALL
There’s a whole host of free activities for children throughout the district courtesy of Shropshire Council’s holiday play schemes.
Reccy Rangers caters for ages four to 12, while Xtreme provides fun and games for 12-year-olds up to 17. Venues range from village greens, school playing fields, village halls and leisure centres, and the schemes run from 26 July to 3 September.
For full details see www.shropshire.gov.uk/sports.nsf
