Family Days Out | Family Day Out UK

From the 25th to the 31st May the UK is holding the first ever National Family Week. This means that there are events happening all over the country in honour of this celebration of families – here are our top 10 events.

1. Family Week Picnic at Regent’s Park
London
Monday 25th May 2009

On Monday 25th May London is kicking off the Family Week celebrations with a picnic in Regent’s Park. What makes this different from any other day of the year is that Regent’s Park are inviting along families from all over the UK in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest picnic ever across multiple venues.

As well as having the chance to mix with thousands of other families from across the UK there will also be lots of entertainment put on during the day to keep both the kids and the adults happy. All of the entertainment kicks off from 12pm and there will also be free strawberries and cream courtesy of Sainsbury’s to make it the perfect summer day out.
If you want to take part in the picnic record attempt then you need to arrive at Regent’s Park from between 11am and 1pm to register. You also need to make sure that you have with you a rug or a mat as well as food and drinks for each person – enough for a two-course lunch each.

If you would like any more information on this event or other picnics in your area which are taking part in the record attempt, please contact Gemma Fordham by e-mail at gemma@nationalfamilyweek.co.uk.

2. RAMM Family Fun Day: Tudor Games and Costumes
Exeter
Wednesday 27th May 2009

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is holding a free family fun day on Wednesday 27th May. This is a great chance for kids to come along and dress up in period costumes to spend the day as a Tudor child. There will be a whole host of games and activities available so that children can learn what it would have been like to be a child in Tudor times. Beware though - many of the activities may be messy, so make sure that the little ones come dressed in something which can get dirty.

There will be two sessions during the day – a morning session starts at 10.30am and an afternoon session starting at 1.30pm. For more information on the activities which will be available on the day please contact the Royal Albert Memorial Museum on 01392 665858.

3. Blackwater Forest Fun Day
The New Forest - Hampshire
Wednesday 27th May

Come and discover the New Forest with this family fun day hosted by the UK Association of National Park Authorities and the Forestry Commission in Blackwater Aboretum. There will be lots of nature activities for the children such as badge making and other crafts as well as entertainment and performances throughout the day.

Blackwater Park is a stunning part of the New Forest near Brockenhurst where you can see some of the oldest and tallest Douglas fir trees in the country. The Arboretum contains a sensory trail which guides you through some magnificent redwood trees and encourages you to use your different senses to get the most from your experience. Nearby there are also lots of opportunities for cycling or walking as well as the scenic Rhinefield Ornamental drive. For those who wish to stay a little longer there are also campsites and BBQ facilities nearby.

The event goes from 10am to 3pm meeting in the Blackwater Car Park. On the day entry is £2 per person, or half price if you arrive by cycle or on foot rather than in a car. If you would like more details about the activities available on the day, facilities at the park or general information please contact the organisers on 023 8028 3141.

4. LoveSport
Leicester
Monday 25th May 2009 to Sunday 31st May 2009

LoveSport is a special exhibition which is being held at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery aimed at introducing all the family to the benefits of sport.

LoveSport is an interactive exhibit with lots of different displays and simulators which both the young and the young-at-heart can try their hand at. There are five themed areas to LoveSport which take you through all the different aspects of sport and what happens when you play sports with areas including The Sporting Body, The Sporting Mind and Fit For Sport. This includes areas where you can test your balance, co-ordination and strength as well as your reaction times, and you can compare your scores to other visitors as well.

Although the exhibition is running for a longer period than the National Family Week this may be the ideal time to get the family together to go down and enjoy the exhibition. While you are at the museum there are also a wide range of other collections which may be seen including Egyptians, dinosaurs and natural history exhibits as well as local fine arts.

Admission to the museum is free, including entry to the LoveSport exhibit and the museum is open from 10am to 5pm daily. For more information on the LoveSport exhibition or other events at the museum they can be contacted on 0116 225 4900.

5. National Family Picnic Fun Day
Grange Park Community Centre – Northampton
Sunday 31st May 2009

Join the Grange Park Community Centre on the final day of the National Family Week for a fun-filled family picnic and fun day. There are heaps of activities planned for throughout the day including a bouncy castle, face painting, henna body art exhibits by the emergency services, a skate board ramp and a teddy bears picnic. There will also be lots of different shows put on throughout the day including a birds of prey display. For those who fancy dressing up there is also a fancy dress competition and a talent show for those who want to strut their stuff and show off their skills.

Families are invited to bring along a picnic or for those who don’t feel like packing up any sandwiches there will be various refreshments available on the day including a hot dog stall, a tuck shop and tea and coffee for the parents.

The family fun day starts at 2pm and there will be displays and exhibitions running through to 6.30pm – entry is free. If you would like any more information on the fun day then contact Carol Turner via e-mail at carol.t@sky.com.

6. Family Fun Day at Windmill Children’s Centre
Hemel Hempstead
Saturday 30th May 2009

The Windmill Children’s Centre is hosting a great family fun day on the Saturday during National Family Week. The event is free to attend and there will be lots of things there to entertain all of the family. The main event of the day includes a family sports day – get together all of the family and pit yourselves against other families in old favourites like the egg and spoon race. There will also be a petting zoo at the fun day featuring a number of exotic animals and some talks by experts to help you to understand a little more about our fascinating guests. Then to top it all off there will also be plenty of other activities and games as well as face painting and arts and crafts for kids of all ages.

The event starts at 10am and runs through to 2pm but you can drop by any time you like during the day. If you want to spend the whole day, then feel free to bring a picnic or there will be light refreshments available. If you would like some more details about the family fun day, contact Caroline Keeler on 01442 426303.

7. Tipton Family Fun Day
Tipton – West Midlands
Friday 29th May 2009

Tipton Family Fun Day is being held on Friday during the National Family Week and is hoping to encourage families to get together and get active. There will be a whole host of free activities available on the day many of which are aimed at getting both kids and adults involved in getting fit. Sports which will be available on the day to try include tennis, cricket, football and athletics. There will also be roller skating as well as dance mats – so whether you have played these sports before or whether it is something you always wanted to try, come along and have a go.

For those not so keen on sports there will also be plenty of other activities to keep you busy including various different arts and crafts, including food crafts such as decorating and tasting. The fun day will also be attended by lots of other agencies including the fire service and police, who will all present different displays and be on hand to offer information on their services.

You can come along at any time during the day, which will run from 10am to 3pm and entry is free. If you would like any more details on the activities on offer on the day or directions to the Tipton Sports Academy then call Arvind Batra on 07817 842 829. You can also e-mail for further details at arvind.batra@ockerhill-jun.sandwell.sch.uk.

8. Family Friendly Merseyside Roadshow
BBC Radio Merseyside, Hanover Street, Liverpool
Tuesday 26th May 2009

To celebrate the National Family Week, BBC Radio Merseyside is hosting the Family Friendly Roadshow which will give families the chance to try out lots of different creative activities in the heart of the city. There will be a chance for children to mimic Liverpool Biennial’s art work, recreating the statues found on Crosby Beach. There’s also a chance to get a sneak peek at Walking with Dinosaurs at the Liverpool Echo Arena and create your own dinosaur masks to take home. The Walker Art Gallery will also be coming to the event and bringing with them everything needed for some card making and other activities. The Victoria Gallery will also be attending with their “Creature Feature” which will let you take a closer look at some of the creatures from their museum collection. If all this weren’t enough the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres will also be here with a huge pantomime wardrobe, so you will get a chance to try on lots of crazy costumes and hats.

The roadshow runs from 2pm to 4pm and all of the activities on offer are free to join in. There’s no need to book, just come along anytime. If you want more info on the activities on offer or other events which are taking place throughout the week, contact Sam Wade on 0151 7074439 or e-mail at sam.wade@factcentre.co.uk.

9. The Generation Game
Metrocentre, Gateshead, Newcastle
Saturday 30th May and Sunday 31st May 2009

The Metrocentre is celebrating National Family Week by putting on a number of different events in the central Exhibition Square throughout the week. The highlight of the program is over the weekend of the 30th and 31st May with their version of the Generation Game. So bring along the family and register to compete to see if your family can be crowned the champions and take home the fantastic prizes on offer. There will be lots of different games for all ages, so every family member can join in, from little brothers and sisters to granny and granddad.

There will also be other activities on offer if you can’t get together a whole team for the main games. There will be a Wii Fit competition which is being put on by Grainger Games. The Newcastle Phoenix Cycling Club will also be bringing some high-tech equipment down to the centre for people to try out as well as providing information on activities which they have on in the area. If music is more your thing, there will also be a Guitar Hero championship for all those aspiring rock gods.

If you want to take part in the Generation Game, entry is free, but you will need to come down to the Exhibition Square on the day you want to compete to register. There are different time slots available which are 10.30 am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Saturday and 12pm, 2pm and 4pm on Sunday. If you would like any further information on the event contact Judith Scanlan on 0191 493 0200 or e-mail at judith-scanlan@capshop.co.uk.

10. West End Family Fun Day
Southbank Centre – London
Tuesday 26th May 2009

The West End is also joining in with National Family Week and there are different activities on in the area throughout the week. One of the highlights of the London West End program is taking place on Tuesday 26th May in the Clore Ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall, part of the Southbank Centre in London’s West End. The family day starts at 11am and there will be a chance for the family to take part in lots of different theatrical activities including singing and dancing workshops as well as various arts and crafts.

The English National Ballet will be attending on the day with a short performance which will be followed by a workshop which all of the family can join in with. There will also be a vocal workshop with Channel 4 celebrity Mary King, which will culminate in a West End singalong. In addition there will also be performances throughout the day from the casts of different musicals including Thriller, Oliver!, Hairspray and Beaches.

The event is free for all of the family and there is no need to book. Simply turn up on the day from 11am onwards, but be prepared to stay until around 4.30pm as you are sure to want to stay for all of the different performances and workshops once you are there. If you would like any more information contact Victoria Aspden on 020 7557 6700 or e-mail at enquiries@solttma.co.uk.