EVERY CHILD'S RIGHT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE CAMPAIGN

That this House notes with concern that, according to a recent survey by Natural England, children's access to the English countryside has plummeted by 50 per cent. in a generation; calls for a co-ordinated campaign to encourage young people to visit the countryside, reclaim their rural birthright and encourage schools to develop an active programme for out of school learning; and congratulates the John Clare Trust, which is transforming the English poet's former home in Helpston into a centre for learning outside the classroom, which will encourage children to learn from their rural environment through exploration of the arts, sciences and literature.