A Gloucestershire educational charity is supporting a national campaign to enable all children to have access to the outdoors during their school years.

The Ernest Cook Trust, based in Fairford, is backing the Nature Premium campaign, which is calling for the Government to guarantee that all children will benefit from having access to nature while in education, with additional funding and support to level up access for those who need it most.

The large majority (73 per cent) of people in Britain agree that greater access to nature in school can improve children's happiness and wellbeing. The Nature Premium would ensure fairness to all children and remove the iniquity of access to nature that has become apparent during Covid lockdowns.

Some 65 per cent of the public support the Nature Premium, which will improve children's connection to nature by guaranteeing funding and resourcing for nature-based activities, such as tree-growing, community gardening, visits into nature and Forest School while in education settings.

The Ernest Cook Trust is a UK-wide landowning charity, which uses its extensive estates to provide learning opportunities for children, young people and their families. It also runs learning programmes on partner estates, and gives grants to promote outdoor learning, particularly for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds

Dr Victoria Edwards OBE, CEO of The Ernest Cook Trust, said: "We believe that everything is better outdoors and fully support the call for a Nature Premium to guarantee regular time in nature for all children and young people. Inspiring a love and understanding of the natural world is at the heart of The Ernest Cook Trust.

"Through our programmes, we try to nurture a lifelong journey of learning, appreciation and respect for the countryside, particularly amongst those who are from disadvantaged groups. We know this deeper affinity with the natural world creates a myriad of benefits at an individual, societal and planetary level."