CHILDREN enjoyed a day in the sun exploring a 62-acre West Oxfordshire estate.

The Hill End Centre in Farmoor, near Eynsham, held the first of its family play days this week on Monday.

It is part of an initiative to open the site, usually restricted to residents, events and school trips, to the public during the summer holidays.

Kate Sutton, from Springfield Oval in Witney, took her children Niamh, seven, Sebastian, five, and William, two.

She said: “It gives them an opportunity to do a wide variety of simple things. There’s so many commercialised pressures on children like TV and tablets but this gives them a natural feeling.”

Niamh, who took time out to play on a swing in the grounds, added: “I loved playing with the water and mud, and exploring.”

Families visited the explorers’ garden, willow maze and woodland, while children played on swings and in a sandpit.

Zoe Ford, administrator for the Oxfordshire Forest School Service, which provides outdoor activities for youngsters, said: “It’s based on the idea of free play where children are left to their imagination.

“There are no activities as such but there are so many different areas for them to explore.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone's contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.


Our top stories