Be A Norfolk Wild Child

Norfolk Wildlife Trust ambassador Ben Garrod discusses the importance of growing up with nature in our hearts.

- Ben Garrod

THINGS WERE different in my day. There, I’ve said it. I’m in my mid-30s and already I’m sounding old. But you know what, it’s true. I’m referring to the way we allow our kids to interact with nature now and how I did it some 20 years ago, and it’s a wholly different story. I was a lucky kid and roamed around a huge swathe of my home area with my band of friends on our bikes, often with my little brother noisily in tow. We climbed trees in the local cemetery, rambled along the marshes and play fought among the sand dunes. We got lost, were chased by bigger kids and injured ourselves in numerous and inventive ways. But we had fun. And it was nearly always outdoors.