NEWS AND VIEWS
Let your kids go wild, get messy and have a ‘Best Day Ever!’ The Little Welly returns to Henley-On-Thames Get ready for a whole dollop of outdoor, crazy fun as The Little Welly – the UK’s largest obstacle course for children - returns on the 11th and 12th June. Specially created for kids, The Little Welly obstacle course has more than 30 challenges over the 3 or 5km routes. They include a huge water slide, foam pit and, of course, mud! The course is reimagined every year to challenge kids (and their parents!) in a fun, unique and safe environment with a cool medal at the end. But there’s so much more to enjoy: the Little Welly Festival Village has something for all the family, including inflatables, the climbing wall, trampolines, caving and hamster balls. There’s live music throughout the day and a full schedule of entertainers in the Show Tent. www.thelittlewelly.co.uk
The Girl of Ink and Stars The Watermill Theatre in Newbury has a reputation for producing highquality youth theatre productions that are both enthralling and entertaining, and this year is no exception! This spring The Watermill Youth Ensemble will take to the stage to perform a brand-new adaptation of The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, a gripping tale of adventure, myth, and finding the way home, perfect for ages 8+. Performances are also available in British Sign Language and Audio Described, making the production accessible to more families. The Watermill Youth Ensemble is made up of young people aged 11+ who take part in one of The Watermill’s regular weekly groups (see the Clubs and Classes directory), including participants from specialist access groups for young people who are home educated, have autism, are deaf or have a hearing impairment, or may be experiencing additional complications in their lives. Visit www.watermill.org.uk for more.
Why children fight Covid better UK scientists have revealed why children are much less likely to become ill with Covid. They found children had a stronger immune response than adults in their airways, which rapidly triggered in-built natural defences to fight the virus. Researchers at University College London said their study revealed that children had an innate immune system that is better able to recognise dangerous viruses or bacteria automatically. Meanwhile, adults have a more adaptive immune system that contains memory type cells which have been trained through past exposure to respond to a particular threat. Dr Yoshida, an author of the study, said: ‘Because Sars-CoV-2 is a new virus, it isn't something that the adaptive immune system of adults has learned to respond to. The innate immune system of children is more flexible and better able to respond to new threats.’ More at www.sanger.ac.uk/news
Pre-schoolers flock back to group activities After more than a year of social distancing and spending time on screens, the number of UK pre-schoolers joining organised group activities has risen by ten percent, according to a new study from Childwise, a leading specialist in research with children. Twenty six percent of parents surveyed said their pre-schooler had participated in group activities this year, up from sixteen percent in 2019. Swimming is the most popular activity, with thirty seven percent of parents taking their pre-schoolers to the pool on a regular basis. This is followed by dance classes (twenty two percent in general and thirty one percent among three and four-year-old girls) and group music lessons (fourteen percent). On average, UK kids are now participating in 1.4 activities, up from 1.2 activities pre-Covid. More info: www.childwise.co.uk/ 4 • Bracknell • Henley • Reading • West Berkshire • Wokingham
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