Are you in any of these picnic photos from around the area?

%image(15133871, type="article-full", alt="A "Posh Picnic" in Christchurch Park in aid of the NSPCC, by pupils from Ipswich Preparatory School in 2003")

More of us than ever are bound to be eating al fresco this spring, with the current emphasis on fresh air.

%image(15133872, type="article-full", alt="A teddy bears' picnic at Haughley Park in May 1985")

But sitting on the ground to eat has also been popular over the years, especially with children who love teddy bears' picnics.

%image(15133873, type="article-full", alt="A playgroup picnic in Sudbury in May 1985")

It's thought the British picnic tradition dates right back to the Middle Ages, when huntsmen ate outdoors.

%image(15133874, type="article-full", alt="St Margaret's School Victorian picnic in Christchurch Park, Ipswich in July 1990")

But it really became popular after the French revolution. Aristocrats who had fled to Britain got together for elaborate indoor meals, where each person brought dishes and wine.

%image(15133875, type="article-full", alt="A teddy bears' picnic at Tuddenham, near Mildenhall, in May 1983.")

Gradually the idea caught on, but picnics became simpler and were moved outside, so people could enjoy the nature around them.

%image(15133876, type="article-full", alt="Children from Wenhaston Church off for a picnic in September 1973")

If these photos bring back memories, email judy.rimmer@archant.co.uk

%image(15133877, type="article-full", alt="Ipswich Preparatory School "Posh Picnic" in Christchurch Park, Ipswich, in aid of the NSPCC, in 2003")

To order copies of photos, visit our website or call Diane Townsend on 01603 772449.

%image(15133878, type="article-full", alt="A teddy bears' picnic in Ipswich during September 1985")