Over 1 million children in the UK did not visit, or rarely visited, natural places in the last year. We have the opportunity to connect more young people with nature, away from the distractions of modern technology and socialising with friends ‘online’. 

For children and their families who want to create special memories, our lakes provide play opportunities for all, offering great value days out. We are passionate about enabling friends and families to enjoy spending time outdoors to be active, have fun and create lasting memories.

‘Play is an essential part of every child’s life. It is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as for social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. When children are asked about what they think is important in their lives, playing and friends are usually at the top of the list.’
Source Play England.

At South West Lakes Trust we aim to enable children to connect with their natural environment, giving them opportunities to play hide and seek in a woodland, go pond dipping or discover our wildlife. Our free activity sheets are a great downloadable resource containing lots of inspiration for things to do while you visit. 

Through our Play and Explore campaign we will provide places for children and their families to play together – by supporting our work you will be helping families to create special memories and protect areas for active play in the countryside. 

We are now fundraising to create new play opportunities at Roadford Lake. We have lots of space to enable children and their families to really make the most of the great outdoors find out more here - Roadford Lake Play and Explore. 

Your support over recent years has enabled us to realise brand new play areas at Tamar and Siblyback Lakes - find out more about our recent projects here.