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80 lucky IKEA FAMILY members enjoyed a free day out in their local Woodland Trust wood.
The lucky FAMILY members were first to respond to an exclusive invite to take part in a free Swedish themed picnic and outdoor activity day at the charity's Hedley Hall Woods near Sunniside, Tyne & Wear. |
On the day the families met at IKEA's Gateshead store and were taken by coach to the wood where they were given a brief introduction from IKEA and Woodland Trust staff, before delving into a free picnic of traditional Swedish foods.
The children were asked to take part in a nature themed treasure hunt, where they searched for various natural treasures including patterns in bark and an unexpected splash of colour. Each time they spotted one they took a picture or made a note of it to tell the others about in a show and tell session.
They were then tasked with creating woodland art which comprised of using only natural materials found in their surroundings and creating a sculpture or artwork with lots of natural colours and textures.
Paul Bunton attended with his daughter Ana, and said: “The day was absolutely marvellous and couldn’t of been nicer. It was perfect for people living in the city and lovely to have the bus provided for free to allow us to get there. There are not many activities provided for free so it made a really nice change for something so great to be free of charge!
"The children all mixed really well and enjoyed all the activities, it was very well organised and the people from IKEA and the Woodland Trust were all very helpful and enthusiastic which made the day even more enjoyable, we can't wait for the next time!"
IKEA has been raising money for the Woodland Trust since 2007 by making a 10p donation every-time customers swipe their IKEA FAMILY cards in store.
Each 10p donation is enough to pay for the Trust to plant a square 'foot of forest' in a wood near to every IKEA store, with the ultimate goal to create 450 acres of new native UK woodland.
Janette Wickens from the Trust said: "We were delighted by the response to this invitation by IKEA FAMILY members, who had logged on and filled all of the places within a few hours of the invites going out!
"I would like to urge IKEA FAMILY card members to keep swiping their cards every time they visit their local store as every swipe helps the Trust creates more new native woodland."
To find out more please contact a local IKEA store or visit www.ikea.co.uk and click on the ‘Your local IKEA store’ link.