In her column for the News, Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, talks about the importance of having 'time out' to get active with the kids and making the most of what Cambridgeshire has to offer.
"With half term just passed, I thought I’d take the opportunity, this week, to reflect on the wealth of activities on offer in our region when it comes to time out with the kids. A good follow up to last week’s column on internet safety and the ever increasing amount of time our children are spending staring at screens!
"Amidst various meetings, I did get to go bowling, biking, and even bird watching at Wicken Fen with the kids last week and I realised how lucky we are to have so many interesting and varied family friendly options on our doorstep.
"The Escape Room experience located in Ely’s Cromwell’s House is a group activity for all ages and definitely one that will lure the kids away from their tablets. Themed around the Civil War, participants become Royalist sympathisers under armed guard with the mission to escape by solving a series of clues within 60 minutes. I tried it with the family – alas we failed!
"Still in Ely, there is, of course, the Ely Museum, very much geared towards families with special children’s guides to the exhibits and hands on activities for the kids. Thanks to a recent grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum will be expanding what’s on offer over the next four years so there’s even more to look forward to there.
Over in Ely Cathedral, something else to look forward to is a month long Science Festival from 19 May - 18 June with a whole host of fascinating activities for all ages exploring science and the natural world.Over in Ely Cathedral, something else to look forward to is a month long Science Festival from 19 May - 18 June with a whole host of fascinating activities for all ages exploring science and the natural world.
"Moving outdoors, Wicken Fen is Britain’s oldest nature reserve and home to some of the rarest and most endangered species of wildlife. There are all year round activities run by the National Trust with an under 5’s day and a Mother’s Day event coming up.
It’s also an excellent place to start a bike ride all the way to Anglesey Abbey and Lode Mill! The Abbey house reopens at the end of March but the Mill is open all year round and children can have fun learning how grain is transformed into flour amongst other things. For those who like the outdoors there are also magnificent gardens to explore.
"The Newmarket National Museum of Horseracing is a great option especially for budding vets and lovers of horses.
"For those with more daredevil tendencies, wake boarding is on offer at Hannam’s Wake Hub just south of Stretham.
"Looking ahead to Easter and beyond, Burwell Museum and Windmill reopen from Easter through till October, Denny Abbey Farmland Museum also opens again in April and Maize Maze in Milton is open from July.
"Not a region to rest on its laurels, there’s more on the horizon with the opening of Ely Leisure Village (a cinema and restaurant complex) in a couple of months, and the construction of a new state of the art sports leisure centre also in Ely. After so much kid focused activity, what better for the adults than the opening in the summer of the UK’s first Sake brewery and visitor centre at Fordham Abbey? That’s the Easter and the Summer holidays sorted then!"