Celebrating National Parks with Liz Truss

Yesterday was an exciting day for Butser staff, as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Liz Truss visited as part of a new campaign to engage people with their national parks. The scheme involves giving every schoolchild in the country a chance to visit one of their local national parks, as new figures reveal only 10% of schoolchildren currently have access to outdoor learning.“National Parks already welcome over 90 million visitors every year and make a major contribution to our vibrant rural economy – but too many children in our country are not aware of these natural wonders… By instilling a love of nature in our young people and building thriving communities in every National Park, our plan will allow these unique spaces to flourish for generations to come.” (Liz Truss)Together with our friends at the South Downs National Park Authority, we welcomed the Secretary of State to visit Butser Ancient Farm, and later Queen Elizabeth Country Park, to see how beneficial outdoor learning is for local children. Thanks to SDNPA for their collaboration – and for providing a great selection of local cakes!Remember, from this weekend we’re open every day until Autumn – we look forward to seeing old friends and welcoming new visitors! Easter weekend activities include our Bunny Treasure Trail, Roman soldiers on site and the Hampshire Coppice Group demonstrating on Monday.Meeting the Butser and SDNPA teams in the Janus Visitor CentreWalking down to the Iron Age enclosureChalk carving with Herne Junior SchoolExploring the Little Woodbury roundhouseTaking a look inside the Danebury roundhouseOur new Saxon longhouse based on local excavations from ChaltonThe South Downs National Park put on a great spread of local cakes!