Enjoy Staffordshire is setting its sights on helping visitors combat the cost-of-living crisis by coming up with 30 family friendly days out that won’t break the bank.
All cost under £30, and many are considerably less than that. Targeting families with children aged 3-15 years, Staffordshire’s new #30DaysUnder30Pounds campaign aims to help visitors make the most of summer with a whole host of ideas in a destination dubbed the UK’s ‘biggest and best playground’.
Whether families are looking for more thrills, space, fun, or adventure, the value-for-money campaign – which runs throughout August – highlights family friendly places to visit and things to do in Staffordshire.
For adventurous families, step-back in time, and literally let off some steam, at heritage steam railways, including Apedale Valley Light Railway (family ticket £19) or Chasewater Railway (£19.95 for a family), both of which are next to free-entry country parks for yet more outdoor fun.
Head to the National Memorial Arboretum, with free admission, and enjoy some friendly competition on an Outdoor Escape Challenge (£12-15 per group) or let the kids imagination run riot at the free to enter Tamworth Castle Pleasure Grounds, with the Norman castle providing a dramatic background.
For an active summer, burn off some energy in Staffordshire’s great outdoors, including following in the wake of top international cyclists chasing Commonwealth Gold.
While they may have blasted through Cannock Chase Forest’s world class routes in the Commonwealth Games races, anyone can tackle those same challenging tracks, or take a more leisurely route. Plus, there is a new Pedal and Play trail, a mountain bike adventure for children aged 3-11 years. Entry is free into the forest, with parking charges from £3-£8 depending on length of stay, and cycling trail maps are available at £1.50.
For those who like to turn their hands to something creative, Stoke-on-Trent – the ‘World Capital of Ceramics’ – offers hands-on pottery fun, from having a go on a potter’s wheel to painting and decorating your own ceramic masterpiece.
At the free admission Emma Bridgewater Factory there are decorating sessions for £2.95 a person, plus the cost of pottery, while at the world-famous World of Wedgwood – again with free admission to the site – families can try a decorating session for £5 per person, or a 15-minite clay session for £10 each.
Curious travellers can peek into Staffordshire’s history and heritage at sites across the county, that have free admission, although parking fees may apply and some offer extra paid-for activities and events.
Among top picks are the Royal Air Force Museum at Cosford; the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum in Lichfield; and the UK’s only medieval three-spired Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral – which for August will also boast a free-entry summer beach outside the Cathedral’s West Front.
Each of the suggested attractions is either free admission, or costs no more than £30 for a family of four to enter.
For full details, visit www.enjoystaffordshire.com/30under30
