BattleBox began when my son, Edward, was 6 years old. Once he had grown out of traditional wooden toys and train sets I could see him being drawn into an unreal world of video games, TV tie-in's, and science fiction.

He was a happy little chap who naturally loved being outside, exploring, climbing trees and making dens but there seemed nothing to encourage this innate enthusiasm. Having had two daughters before Edward, I had found it very easy to find wonderful ideas and toys for them but it seemed to me that everyone had forgotten about the boys!

I really wanted Edward to see that the real world was a far more interesting place to be. So I decided to try and show him. This was the sort of childhood that I had had growing up in the countryside, finding our own entertainment rather than waiting to be entertained.

I decided to see if other parents felt the same and to test the market by taking a stand at my children’s school fair. I spent £500 on products ranging from telescopic fishing rods to stargazers and compasses to catapults and anxiously waited to see what the reaction would be. Well, from start to finish we were surrounded by excited boys thrilled to find something especially for them, we were bowled over by the response: “at last, something for boys!”

So, for the last 4 years we have been busy working from home, setting up a website and attending fairs around the country, with a great response from our first time at Burghley Horse Trials and The Spirit of Christmas in London. The enthusiasm has been totally overwhelming and BattleBox has gone from strength to strength.

In July of this year we started working with some great new partners, who, like us, share our vision. We have all taken a big deep breath and decided to move from working at home, where we were beginning to run out of space, and have now set up our very own headquarters at the magnificent Bowcliffe Hall in Yorkshire surrounded by beautiful parkland, trees for climbing, tree houses to hang out in, and woods to explore - the perfect place for BattleBox to be based! This is where we shall now be working from, with trusted friends, to take BattleBox to the next new and exciting stage.

As a Mother, I am very keen to make sure that each of our Adventure Kits is tried and tested. Edward and his friends tell us what it is they like, what they love and what they don't, so you can be sure that at each stage we know exactly what will prove a hit! As these boys grow older, BattleBox will grow with them.

If you have any ideas about how we can make BattleBox even better we would love to hear from you.

Best wishes and happy adventures!

Emma de Vere Hunt