The easy trick that can get your kids FREE entry to over 200 activities in the UK – from castles to zoos

WITH the school holidays in full swing, looking for activities to keep the kids entertained can put in a dent in your budget. But you could nab FREE entry to over 200 days out nationwide with an easy trick that anyone can try – and it will cost you absolutely nothing. A Blue Peter badge can get your kid free entry to hundreds of top UK attractions Credit: Alamy London Zoo is one of the many days out you can save hundreds of pounds on with the badge Credit: Alamy Getting a Blue Peter badge could save you hundreds of pounds on everything from castles to zoos. The famous awards, handed out by the BBC kids’ show Blue Peter, have been going strong since 1963. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! But these days it’s even easier to get your hands on one as there are nine different types of badges – and they’ll grant you free entry to over 200 UK attractions. These include London Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo, Kensington Palace, the British Motor Museum, and Tamworth Castle. How can I get a badge? Kids between the ages of five and 15 can apply for a Blue Peter badge. There are nine different types of badges you can apply for from silver, green and purple to the music, sports and book badges. The Blue badge is awarded to kids who send in a creative piece of work, like a poem, story, recipe, painting or drawing, or a letter about their hobbies. For a Green badge, your kid will need to write a letter telling the Blue Peter team what they’ve done to help the planet. Most read in Money You can get a Music Badge by telling them how you enjoy making music, like playing an instrument or singing. If your child is more sporty, consider getting them to apply for a Sport badge. They’ll need to write about their experience of trying a new sport. You can also get a Book badge for writing about a book you’ve read. There’s also an orange badge, but that is only awarded to those who win or are a runner up in a Blue Peter competition. You can see the full list of badges your child can apply for on the BBC website. Once your child has chosen what badge they want to apply for, you’ll need to post their letter or creative piece and include your their full name, date of birth and your home address and postcode. You’ll need to send it to: Blue Peter, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2BH. You can also apply online, but you’ll need to set up a BBC child account for each applicant and then create their My Blue Peter profile. Once your child has been awarded their badge, they’ll be able to access their digital badge ID card through their My Blue Peter account. They will need to upload a photo to the card in order for it to work. The ID card is what will grant your child access to free days out – they’ll need to show it (or a screenshot of it) to get free entry. Bear in mind that the badge can take up to 12 weeks to arrive in the post. Which UK attractions can my child get into for free with a Blue Peter badge? IF your child is between the ages of 5 and 15, has a Blue Peter badge and a badge ID card, they are entitled to free entry at over 200 top attractions in the UK. Here are a selection of those destinations: Hampton Court Palace Dudley Zoo St Paul’s Cathedral Kew Gardens British Motor Museum Eden Project Africa Alive Zoological Reserve Bluebell Railway Colchester Castle IWM Duxford Kensington Palace Peel Castle Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Tower of London Shakespeare’s Birthplace London Zoo The Snow Centre, Manchester Stonehenge For the full list of attractions covered by the Blue Peter badge, click here. Comment now