Download PDF - Fair Play For Children

d. provide clear guidance on developing interesting and fun places to play; and
e. emphasise the importance of maintaining sites.
Develop up to 3,500 public play areas
3.5
3.6
3.7
Many of the thousands of play areas across the country are well-maintained and well-used by
local children. But local play audits show there are many places where play deserts exist – areas
where there is a high demand for play facilities but none are available.
This work is not starting from scratch. The BIG Lottery Children’s Play initiative has resulted in
almost every council developing a local play partnership and strategy, including a needs
analysis which highlights priorities for improvement. BIG’s investment has provided a timely and
secure foundation on which to build, enabling us to invest immediately in the best prepared
local authorities.
Government’s investment of £235 million over the next three years will offer every local
authority capital funding that will enable up to 3,500 play areas to be developed and made
accessible all children including disabled children. We expect that each local authority will
develop at least 20 play areas, completely or substantially replacing old equipment for new or
building a completely new play area. Thirty local areas will become play pathfinders and will
test innovative approaches to promoting and supporting play spaces.
Pathfinders to develop 30 adventure playgrounds
3.8
Large adventure playgrounds or playparks, supervised by qualified play staff, can make a real
difference to the benefits that local children can gain from play, particularly in dense urban
areas where space is at a premium.
Case study – Glamis Adventure Playground
Glamis is a voluntary sector-run adventure playground that regularly sees 40 children pass
through its gates every day. These figures go up in the summer and down slightly in the
winter. The playground has four playworkers, two of whom are part time, and a children’s
committee that meets regularly to decide what they would like on the playground and what
to spend money on.
The playground won the 2007 London Play award for Best Adventure Playground in the
Capital.
“I like coming here, because it’s something to do – there’s not a lot around here – and it’s for any
ages up to 16. It’s an interesting place because you have the bridge, around the world and the ship.
I helped build some of the equipment with some of the others including the platform decking under
the bridge and the hammock. I built it myself, and it’s still standing after six months”.
(Playground user, aged 16)
“It’s great coming here because you can make new friends and you can play. There’s nothing else
like this around here. I love the bridge and the hammock. I wish all the children who live around
here would come here too”. (Playground user, aged 10)
Further information: http://www.londonplay.org.uk/document.phpdocument_id=1055
Fair Play: A consultation on the play strategy
27