As some of you know I am the District Council Representative on the Suffolk Local Access Forum, a countywide body that aims to improve and encourage access to the countryside. This week a number of hazards, or perceived hazards, that seem to frustrate the Forum’s aims have come to light.
In today’s Sunday Telegraph there is an article stating that research has shown that many ‘middle class mothers’ are frightened of venturing into the countryside on foot because they can’t read a map and also because they are frightened that their children will get muddy and might even get lost! Mothers, claim the writers of the report, are ‘obsessed’ about potential injuries and also about dirt.
A spokesman from Natural England comments: ‘Children are being denied the fundamental sense of independence and freedom in nature that their parents enjoyed.
‘Whether through pond-dipping or tree climbing, nature based activities can play an important part in the educational and social development of children’.*
Related to this current conviction that children must be protected from illusory dangers is the fact that the number of children that now walk to school has fallen to less than half, compared with 62 percent in 1989. More staggering is the statistic that in 1971 80 percent of children aged 7 to 8 got to school on their own, a number which had fallen to 9 percent in 1990 and, judging by the chaos outside local schools at dropping-off time, the figure is even lower today.
This all seems very sad to me and is yet more evidence, if it were needed, both of the totally irrational fears with regard to safety that are stimulated by the media and peer group pressure, and also of the sense of increased alienation that our society has from the countryside.
This view seems to be supported by a report I have just received of a meeting held by Natural England’s Livestock and Access Group. This was held to discuss rising concern about incidents related to cattle ‘attacking’ walkers with dogs. There has been increased interest in this since David Blunkett was involved in a case some months ago.
The statistics, it seems, do not show an increase in reported incidents, but there is no doubt that the perception is that the dangers have increased. The best advice seems to be that in the unlikely event that you are caught in such a situation you should let your dog off the lead since it is the dog rather than the humans that are the source of the cattle’s aggression.
*The Natural England spokesman goes on to say that outdoor play is better than nothing and claims that not enough money is being spent on play equipment. Hats off then to Great Waldingfield Parish Council who are AT THIS MOMENT undertaking a major play equipment project in the village.
