The federation was founded on June 17 in 1967 with the inaugural meeting having taken place in Teesdale in County Durham.

The first edition of the British Orienteering Championships were held the following day at Hamsterley Forest.

"It is the 50th anniversary of the creation of British Orienteering and whilst we have few resources to splash out on the celebrations we hope that all involved in orienteering in whatever capacity will be able to celebrate this achievement in some small ways," said Mike Hamilton, British Orienteering chief executive.

"Well done British Orienteering, you are now officially 50."

As part of the celebrations, British Orienteering have created a special Golden Jubilee anniversary edition of their focus membership magazine.

The edition marks the occasion and examines the progression of the sport over the past half-century.

A celebration also was held for members at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting at Brunel University.

Mike Bushell, a sports presenter at the BBC, was also welcomed a South East Lancashire Orienteering Club event to mark the anniversary.

British Orienteering claim that the sport is not just for elite athletes, stressing that families can also take part as they seek to navigate the fastest way around a set course.

They believe the sport is an ideal way for people to get active and enjoy the scenery outdoors, particularly as most orienteering takes place in forests and moorlands.

The organisation is also aiming to encourage people to take part across several city-based orienteering courses as well.

A challenge called Xplorer, funded by Sport England, aims to encourage families in England to explore local parks in their communities.

Aimed as a family friendly challenge, Xplorer offers educational and fun elements and is hoped provides children a sense of adventure as they explore the park to find the markers.