Concerns raised over number of children not engaging with nature

Two-year study finds more than 10% of children in England have not been to a natural environment in the past 12 months

More than one in nine children in England have not set foot in a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least 12 months, according to a two-year study funded by the government.

Children from low-income families and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) households are markedly less likely than white children and those from higher income households to frequently visit urban or rural wild places, according to the survey conducted by Natural England.