Published: Monday 11th July 2022 | 2.05pm
Over 350 local primary school children took part in the Woodland Wonder Festival last week, as part of the local Chase Community Games initiative.
Children had the opportunity to experience a range of cultural and sporting activities to celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The event took place at Cannock Chase Forest and included various activities including arts and crafts, circus skills, sporty stamps, dancing, storytelling and much more.
Throughout the day children visited three wellness zones linking in with the Cannock Chase Can programme. These included, Feel Well, Naturally Well and Move Well. Children had the opportunity to explore Cannock Chase and meet some special guests along the way including magical fairies and butterflies.
As this event was an official 'Bring the Power' Schools Festival, Perry the official Commonwealth Games Mascot also made an appearance along with Sarah-Jane Perry, who will be competing in the Squash event this summer.
Children also had a go at cycling on the Pedal and Play Trail and experienced firsthand the new cycling routes that have been developed as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy.
The aim of the day was to promote how much fun Cannock Chase can be and to show children how it can improve their quality life – which in turn will contribute towards a healthier lifestyle.
The day was made possible thanks to the help and support of local organisations, especially the students from The Hart School in Rugeley.
Councillor Adrienne Fitzgerald, Portfolio Leader for Housing, Heritage and Leisure, said: “It was great to see so many young children taking part in the Woodland Wonder Festival. It really helped to raise the profile of the Commonwealth Games. We hope the children have been inspired by what they have seen and will go and visit the Pedal and Play Trail with their families.
“I would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in making this event happen especially the providers and organisations that provided activities throughout the day.
“Finally, we hope this experience of the great outdoors will encourage the children and their families to visit Cannock Chase again – but next time as fully fledged ‘Chase Explorers’!”
Chris Derbyshire, Managing Director of Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, said: “It was great to see children and teachers having fun and enjoying themselves at the Woodland Wonder Festival. It’s events like these that help showcase what is on offer locally for families and helps promote Cannock Chase as a place to visit”.
“It was brilliant to see all the children coming together especially after the last 2 years. We hope they all had a fantastic experience and will come and visit some of the team again at our leisure and cultural facilities and services.”
The event was led by Cannock Chase Council in partnership with Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles. Cannock Chase Cultural Education Partnership and the Bring the Power programme contributed funding towards this event as part of their youth engagement work.
Woodland Wonder Festival is part of the Chase Community Games initiative which has been inspired by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The next event will be the Queen’s Baton Relay which will be visiting our District on Saturday 23 July. To find out more visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/queensbatonrelay.
Photos of the Woodland Wonder Festival are now available to view on the Council’s Facebook page – search for Cannock Chase Life.