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| Young northerners help to guide the National Trust | Young northerners help to guide the National Trust |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| On this Super(ish) Thursday for UK voters – or as it may prove to be, Somnolent Thursday – it's good to hear of the next generation going for elections with vim. | On this Super(ish) Thursday for UK voters – or as it may prove to be, Somnolent Thursday – it's good to hear of the next generation going for elections with vim. |
| Two eight-year-olds from the north have won places on the National Trust's latest essay in consultation, a Kids' Council which is designed to further the trust's current campaign to get under-12s to be more venturesome out-of-doors. | |
| The group's wider remit is engage younger people with the trust's homes and other properties, alongside old giffers such as myself who need no persuasion to potter around somewhere nice with a guaranteed tea and scone as part of the deal. | The group's wider remit is engage younger people with the trust's homes and other properties, alongside old giffers such as myself who need no persuasion to potter around somewhere nice with a guaranteed tea and scone as part of the deal. |
| The council is ten-strong and formed from the best of hundreds of applications solicited by the trust since August. It's an impressively real job. The councillors, who are aged between eight and 11, will get to visit plenty of trust properties during their year of office. They've just held their first meeting at Dyrham Park near Bath. | The council is ten-strong and formed from the best of hundreds of applications solicited by the trust since August. It's an impressively real job. The councillors, who are aged between eight and 11, will get to visit plenty of trust properties during their year of office. They've just held their first meeting at Dyrham Park near Bath. |
| This crucially saw one of their first suggestions actually carried out, rather than a day of head-patting and promises to forward their bright ideas to grown-up committees. They reckoned that the mansion in a steep valley on the edge of the Cotswolds was an ideal place to have a mud slide. With the help of the topography, recent rain and Dyrham Park's head ranger Rob Holden, one was constructed then and there. | This crucially saw one of their first suggestions actually carried out, rather than a day of head-patting and promises to forward their bright ideas to grown-up committees. They reckoned that the mansion in a steep valley on the edge of the Cotswolds was an ideal place to have a mud slide. With the help of the topography, recent rain and Dyrham Park's head ranger Rob Holden, one was constructed then and there. |
| The north's pair on the council are Jessica Swales from North Yorkshire and Mia McDade from Stockport, both of whom are eight years old. The trust says: | The north's pair on the council are Jessica Swales from North Yorkshire and Mia McDade from Stockport, both of whom are eight years old. The trust says: |
| They and their colleagues jumped into their role with gusto. They will help us to develop our 50 Things To Do Before You're 11¾ campaign and provide advice on how National Trust places can spark more children's interest in nature and the outdoors. | They and their colleagues jumped into their role with gusto. They will help us to develop our 50 Things To Do Before You're 11¾ campaign and provide advice on how National Trust places can spark more children's interest in nature and the outdoors. |
| The application process itself has given the trust a stock of bright young ideas, even if some of them fall into the old political category of cakes and ale for all and sundry. The trust says: | The application process itself has given the trust a stock of bright young ideas, even if some of them fall into the old political category of cakes and ale for all and sundry. The trust says: |
| Some of the more weird and wonderful suggestions that came up in the applications included meerkats at National Trust properties, barefoot nature walks and going inside a large rabbit hole to "see what it's like being a rabbit". | Some of the more weird and wonderful suggestions that came up in the applications included meerkats at National Trust properties, barefoot nature walks and going inside a large rabbit hole to "see what it's like being a rabbit". |
| Tony Berry, visitor experience director of the National Trust says: | Tony Berry, visitor experience director of the National Trust says: |
| The applicants were imaginative, adventurous and exciting and we cannot wait to hear their views and start bringing their recommendations to life. The sheer number of applications shows that the children of Britain do want to get outdoors, have fun and connect with nature and our mission is to make this as accessible to all children as possible. | The applicants were imaginative, adventurous and exciting and we cannot wait to hear their views and start bringing their recommendations to life. The sheer number of applications shows that the children of Britain do want to get outdoors, have fun and connect with nature and our mission is to make this as accessible to all children as possible. |
| Jessica's application promised that she would bring a "wild imagination and liking adventures" to the council, with crossing stepping stones her contribution to the 50 Things list. Mia's six-page application, brilliantly composed with photographs and drawings, also included stepping stones as well as "jumping in mud puddles with bare feet." | Jessica's application promised that she would bring a "wild imagination and liking adventures" to the council, with crossing stepping stones her contribution to the 50 Things list. Mia's six-page application, brilliantly composed with photographs and drawings, also included stepping stones as well as "jumping in mud puddles with bare feet." |
| You can see the Council in action on this National Trust video via YouTube here. It looks a bit more interesting than being a Police and Crime Commissioner... | You can see the Council in action on this National Trust video via YouTube here. It looks a bit more interesting than being a Police and Crime Commissioner... |
| Don't forget, on that score, that the PCC polling stations are open until 10pm - ditto those for the Manchester Central by-election. All northern candidates are in this Northerner post here - click on them to find out more. | Don't forget, on that score, that the PCC polling stations are open until 10pm - ditto those for the Manchester Central by-election. All northern candidates are in this Northerner post here - click on them to find out more. |