Celebrate childhood on National Children's Day

Supported by the National Lottery, National Children's Day UK, is all about the importance of a healthy childhood and protecting the rights and freedoms of children to ensure that they grow into happy, healthy adults.

From ‘playing-out days’ and small family outings to whole early years, school and community events, talks, seminars and city-wide celebrations, the organisers say that it's a great opportunity for everyone to raise awareness and support for projects they are running or things that they care or are concerned about.

Those taking part are invited to run any kind of big or small event that they want for the week up to and including the day, and then share what they are up to.

Wendy Ellyatt, chief executive of the Save Childhood Movement said, ‘Children in the modern world are experiencing pressures that were unknown to previous generations and National Children’s Day UK provides a wonderful opportunity for people to highlight things that are going on in the lives of children and families and issues that they care about.

‘We hope everyone will use the day as a platform to celebrate everything that is magical about childhood, but to also shine a light on any problems and what we can do to alleviate them.’

The organisers say that whether you are concerned about child poverty in the UK, maternal mental health, problems with early attachment in babies, childhood obesity or children’s lack of contact with nature, or if you just want to inspire others with a project, you can use this opportunity and share your ideas.

Over the four years since the Save Childhood Movement launched the initiative in 2013, it has worked with more than a hundred partners and in 2016 it helped raise more than £540,000 for disadvantaged children and achieved a Facebook reach of 3.2 million.

Children's Day was established in 1954 by the UN General Assembly to be a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. Many other countries celebrate the day on the 20 November, the United Nations nominated day, but in the UK it is celebrated at the beginning of the summer.

• For more information, visit http://www.nationalchildrensdayuk.com/.