The National Trust has announced it is pulling its annual Easter egg hunt from next year after ending its long-running partnership with Cadbury.

The trust says the decision between the two brands was mutual and was born out of it wanting to focus on “nature” and make chocolate “less of a focus” from 2021.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said: “Now is the time for change as we look to increase our emphasis on nature and the outdoors. To reflect that in our Easter activities, from next year we will be making chocolate less of a focus.”

A spokesperson for Cadbury said: “The time is right to move on as we look for ways to bring Easter trails to more families, bringing joy to even more consumers at this special time of year.”

The trails, which have taken place for 13 years, are described on the National Trust’s website as “a fun thing to do with kids during the Easter holidays” 

The hunts took place throughout April at National-Trust owned properties across England, Wales and northern Ireland.

Children’s health campaigners have welcomed the move; Barbara Crowther of the Children’s food campaign, said they were “pleased” that the National Trust was moving away from chocolate.

“We can imagine many healthy, fun and active ways for children to explore National Trust properties at Easter that don’t involve lots of sugary treats. 

“Children are growing up in a marketing environment that constantly nudges them towards snacks and treats, so we applaud the trust in recognising it is the right time to end the unhealthy association with chocolate.”

The trails prompted controversy in April 2017 when then-Prime Minister Theresa May commented on a story which suggested the National Trust had dropped the word Easter from their marketing of the hunt.

“I don’t know what they are thinking about, frankly,” she said. “It’s a very important festival for the Christian faith for millions across the world.”

Cadbury and the National Trust responded saying that the word Easter was still in all of their marketing materials for the event.

Previously the partnership had also prompted criticism from environmental campaigners who claimed that Cadbury was using unsustainable palm oil in its products.

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