by Joe Jeffrey
Results of survey come as The Caravan Club readies for Big Little Tent Festival this weekend
Thousands of children are missing out on the fun and excitement of exploring the great outdoors because of parents’ aversions to camping, according to research conducted by The Caravan Club.
A survey conducted by The Club has revealed that despite nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of British parents camping in their youth, more than a third (37 per cent) have never given their own children the same opportunity to make family memories on a holiday in the great outdoors.
The research has subsequently highlighted parents’ attitudes towards camping, with more than half avoiding trips because of the unreliable British weather (56 per cent). Other reasons include not having the right gear (22 per cent) and fear of mud, dirt and wildlife (13 per cent).
A surprising one in 20 parents have never spent time outdoors with their children despite more than half of parents (56 per cent) admitting that their children ask to go camping.
Yet, when it comes to who is responsible for introducing children to nature, there is some confusion. A whopping 82 per cent thinking it is dad’s job; three quarters of those surveyed (74 per cent) think it should be up to mums; and over a quarter (28 per cent) think after-school clubs should be leading the way.
The survey falls ahead of the launch of The Caravan Club’s Big Little Tent Festival in partnership with BritMums, the UK’s largest parent blogger community made up of nearly 8,000 influential bloggers. The campaign encourages families to pitch a tent in their own back garden, and enjoy the delights of camping; campfire cooking, outdoor games, exploring the local fauna and flora and creating shared memories all within reach of the comforts of home.
With the rest of July set to be a scorcher, following on from recent weeks of miserable wet weather, the Big Little Tent Festival, set to take place this weekend, will demonstrate what the British outdoors has to offer this summer and why families should be getting outside and having fun. Families are encouraged to join in the fun throughout the summer holidays, on a day that works best for them, right up until 19 September by downloading the free festival pack here. The packs include wristbands, bunting to help create a festival atmosphere, recipe suggestions to be cooked over a campfire (or barbecue), festival flags and invitations for little ones keen to get their friends involved in the garden camp out.
Founder of BritMums and keen camper, Jennifer Howze, has teamed up with The Caravan Club to inspire parents to explore the great outdoors with their children this summer.
Howze said: “Getting outside and exploring the countryside is a great family holiday and mums and dads up and down the country are being encouraged to join in the fun as part of this unique virtual festival. We want people to share their pictures and videos of their own outdoor memory making ‘festivals’ on social media so we can create one great big summer festival. By taking part in their own gardens, we hope people will be reminded what a great time they can have outdoors with their children and what a great enjoyable and rewarding experience it can be. We certainly know many of our members are blogging and writing about it already.”
Harvey Alexander, director of marketing for The Caravan Club, added: “As parents, we all remember the days of sleeping under canvas on a family camping holiday and what fun it was – even if a little damp. These days the quality of tents has gone up, and the cost of tents has gone down, making it a great family holiday accessible by all. We hope the Big Little Tent FestivalT will remind parents how exciting it can be and encourage them to get out there with their kids.”
There are plenty of chances to win prizes with The Big Little Tent Festival too – every family who signs up will be entered into a prize draw to win a European camping holiday. There are BBQ prizes across the social media platforms live from now until 19 September 2016 along with Keela outdoor clothing and Dometic cool bags. Simply share your photos and videos of you showing off your outdoor cooking skills during the Big Little Tent Festival using #BigLittleTentFest16 to be in with a chance of winning.
