Bristol’s Windmill Hill City Farm unveils 6ft Stick Man figure to launch the first trail of its kind in England
Popular picture book character Stick Man is featuring in a new free outdoor activity trail which launched at Windmill Hill City Farm in Bristol to encourage children to branch out by getting outdoors and exploring the natural world.
Bristol has been chosen as the first city in England to launch the pilot scheme with community farms and gardens in the UK, thanks to the support of Stick Man brand owner Magic Light Pictures.
The self-guided trail around the farm’s grounds has been designed to help children go on their own adventure with the character, find out more about the natural world and learn how things grow.
Children from the farm’s on-site nursery were the first to try the trail, which offers an interactive learning experience for three to seven year olds. Brightly coloured boards featuring Stick Man and other characters from the picture book are used alongside an activity pack, with children able to claim a reward for completing the trail.
Besides the trail itself, there were also be other fantastic activities taking place on the farmyard, with a reading from the book as well as Stick Man-based crafts for the children to enjoy, including the chance to create characters from the book – out of real sticks!
Simone Dougall from Windmill Hill City Farm said: “We’re really happy we were chosen as part of this pilot scheme. Stick Man is hugely popular with young children so we’re expecting a great deal of interest from families and we’re hoping the trail will also draw in new visitors who’ll appreciate and support the work we do at the farm.”
It’s hoped that thousands of parents and young children will ‘twig’ how much fun the trail can be and become new and regular visitors to their local growing group.
The initiative is part of a national campaign called Local Heroes, which aims to get more people, including children, involved with their local community growing groups, such as city farms, community gardens, therapy gardens and community orchards.
There are estimated to be over 2,500 community growing groups in the UK, most of which rely on voluntary support and need more help to thrive.
Heidi Seary, project manager of the Growing Together partnership which is leading the Local Heroes campaign, said: “We hope that hundreds of young children and families will be inspired to go on their own outdoor adventure with Stick Man at Windmill Hill City Farm, where they can have fun, as well as learn more about the natural world and how things grow.
“This new Stick Man trail will provide children, particularly those in urban areas who have little access to the countryside, with an opportunity to play and learn outdoors, at the same time as raising the profile of local community growing groups, which help make local neighbourhoods better, healthier and friendlier places.”
Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, said: “Encouraging exploration and learning about nature are core values for the Stick Man brand so we are really excited to bring these trails into a new, urban setting and reach a wider audience.”
The trails will be running until at least the end of the year. To find out more about the Local Heroes campaign, go to https://www.growingtogether.co
