Hundreds of young families spent a day enjoying a host of outdoor activities in west Suffolk today.

They were at the Wild in the Stour Valley event held at the Millacre in Sudbury where children were able to have a go at kayaking, pond dipping, mini-beast hunts, digging for archaeological treasures, arts and crafts, foraging for wild food, and petting goats - to name but a few.

At total of 18 organisations gave their time including the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Daw’s Hall, Sudbury Common Lands Charity, Hedgehog Street and Geo Suffolk.

The event is one of many taking place throughout the year for the River Stour Festival and was organised by the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Stour Valley Project in partnership with SVEN, the Stour Valley Education Network.

The spread of activities were designed to celebrate the landscape, biodiversity, heritage and culture of the Stour Valley in equal measure.

Councillor Nigel Chapman, chairman of the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Joint Advisory Committee said: “This family event is a great way of encouraging children to get close to nature and enjoy the great outdoors.

“We’re so lucky in the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley to have so many organisations offering opportunities for children to get involved with the natural world and outdoor recreation.

“It’s so important for their health and wellbeing and for the future of the planet.

“They will be the future custodians of the planet so need to learn to love and respect what is around them.”

As well as it being the last day of the half-term holiday, the event was timed to coincide with Volunteers Week and the launch of the Wildlife Trusts’ ‘30 Days Wild’ challenge, which encourages everyone to get outside and do something wild, every day in June,

Sudbury mayor Sue Ayres took a tour of the proceedings and had a go at a number of activities before addressing the audience.

She said: “There is so much to learn and do here - well done to every single volunteer who has helped out today.”