Knights and dragons help children in Warwick get out to play

More than 600 events took place across the British Isles as part of the campaign, including at Ducklings Day Nursery near Hatton and at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick, where children learnt about knights and dragons and made their own coats of arms and shields.

Results from a survey conducted by Playday organisers, Play England - part of the children’s charity NCB, show that less than a quarter - 23 per cent - of children play outdoors at least seven times a week. In comparison, more than 50 per cent of adults surveyed said that while growing up, they played out this often.

Mick Conway, one of the co-founders of Playday, said: “Ingredients for a great Playday: a bit of space and whatever bits and pieces are to hand. Just add some children and they’ll do the rest.

“Playday can be any size or any shape from a family picnic to a huge event in a park – celebrate it where you are with what you have and see what happens.”