The Woodland Games Festival 2010 is coming to Lydiard Park
23 August 2010
Blow away the ‘first day back at school blues’ and join The Great Western Community Forest team at Lydiard Park on Saturday 4th September for a great day out at the second annual Woodland Games Festival.
The Woodland Games is a free festival to be held at Lydiard Park in West Swindon on Saturday 4th September. The day will feature a host of unusual sports and fun activities including disc golf, the amazing mobile climbing wall, rock-it-ball, samba football and wacky bicycles. You can also learn to play the exciting and fast moving sport of Ultimate Frisbee, with national representatives on hand to provide coaching advice.
The event has been organized by the Great Western Community Forest as part of part of Natural England’s Green Exercise initiative to encourage people to get out into their local green spaces and think about new and enjoyable ways of keeping active.
Woodland Games officer, Simon Pitman said “We have some great activities lined up for the day and people can come along for all or part of the day to try something new. As well as unusual sports and games we also have some traditional pastimes such as archery, cycling and rounders. We want to show people that there are lots of different ways to keep active in the parks, gardens and woodlands of Swindon”.
Rob Leek, Natural England’s local Walking for Health Advisor said “Natural England is a strong supporter of the Woodland Games programme and the incredibly successful annual event they run each year which reaches hundreds of Swindon families and helps encourage them to be active and healthy in their local green spaces.”
A packed programme of live music and entertainment will be going on throughout the day on the eco-friendly solar powered festival stage, and the Forest Café will be serving fresh, healthy and local food.
For further information visit www.wfh.naturalengland.org.uk/our-work/green-exercise/3g-woodland-games
. The event will run from 11.00am-4.00pm. Limited parking will be available at Lydiard Park but please walk, cycle or catch the bus if possible (Traveline on 08712 002233).
-ends-
For further information please contact Joanna Busk, Natural England Communications Specialist, Tel: 07900 608440, email joanna.busk@naturalengland.org.uk
Notes for editors
The Woodland Games Festival is being held on Saturday 4th September 2010 at Lydiard Park in West Swindon. The event is free and open to all. The Games include ‘non-traditional' sports and physical activities such as the climbing wall, Frisbee golf, orienteering, wacky cycling and Tai Chi.
The Great Western Community Forest is one of England's 12 Community Forests where local people and organisations are working together to create a better environment. It covers an area of 168 square miles stretching from Wootton Bassett to Faringdon and the North Wessex Downs to the Thames.
The Woodland Games are part of Natural England’s Green Exercise initiative which aims to show the many different ways in which our physical health and mental wellbeing can be maintained and improved in the natural environment. Natural England is funding one project in each region over a three year period. The event is in conjunction with Swindon Borough Council and The Great Western Community Forest.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
