Once upon a time, children were free to play rough. No longer, thanks to elf ‘n’ safety

…….boy scouts crossing a river on a makeshift rope and wooden pole bridge, enacting a rescue drill from a tall building, and building a tower of sticks – which they then climb. Before the elf ‘n’ safety police get in a tizz over these perilous activities, I should point out that the photos are 80 years old. They mark 100 years of the Altrincham, Cheshire, scout group.

The scouts’ intrepid activities would be banned today. They’d breach every rule in the over-stuffed book of no-nos that regulates our existence. Tall trees, rickety stairs, coastal paths: these are off limits today. Each involves a degree of risk, and risk-taking itself has become anathema in today’s child-rearing…..’

Article by Christine Odone in the Daily Telegraph