From left to right: Jenni Murray,
Adrian Voce and Ed Balls. (Below) Children deliver the manifesto
Manifesto for children’s play
The manifesto calls on the next government to make play a priority and is asking all political parties to make three simple pledges:
• To make all residential neighbourhoods child-friendly places where children can play outside • To give all children the time and opportunity to play throughout their childhood years • To give all children somewhere to play – in freedom and safety – after school and in the holidays
For it to have maximum impact, Play England is asking individuals and organisations, as well as candidates and political parties, to endorse the manifesto at
www.playengland.org.uk
With political and economic uncertain-
ties looming, Voce encouraged delegates to sign up to the manifesto and empha- sised that the momentum for play must be sustained, especially in these times of economic and political uncertainty, to ensure the vision for England’s playable communities becomes reality.
Keep the pressure on
In his keynote speech the former Chil- dren’s Secretary, Ed Balls praised Play England’s work as the government’s delivery partner for the Play Strategy, saying that such a strong national cham- pion was important to the future of play. He acknowledged a move away from
the ‘no ball games’ culture, but stressed that there was much more to do, partic- ularly for local authorities and planners, highlighting the need to think about children, with play central to the way they provide for communities. He challenged the play sector to
redouble its efforts to present the evidence base of how play provision de- livers value-for-money outcomes, saying
“[The] constructive tough pressure you put on us to prioritise play is very impor- tant – we need to hear the voice, loud and clear, from parents, children and young people around the country: keep investing in decent play places for us to go in order that we can keep the focus on this important area.” After his keynote, Balls accepted ques-
tions from the floor, happily staying longer than planned to answer questions about the government’s Play Strategy and local issues that delegates raised. On
Issue 2 2010 © cybertrek 2010
leaving the auditorium, a group of chil- dren from St Clement Danes CE Primary School formally presented the manifesto to the Secretary of State on the behalf of all children in England.
Working in partnership
Other speakers included Paul Williamson, head of extended services at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, who discussed how staffed play provision and adventure play supports vulnerable children, engages the community and creates joint partnerships between all ar- eas that have an impact on play. Discussing the role of Children’s Trusts
in promoting and sustaining play provi- sion, Kim Bromley-Derry, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, stressed that the decisions dictating future play provision will take effect through local leadership with top level support. Raising issues of sustainable devel-
opment, Dr Tony Kendle, foundation director of the Eden Project, connected the importance of play to the ‘human, wired in’ things that are critical in the movement towards sustainable societies. Kendle stressed that play is not a small adjunct to serious policy matters – its
investment and prioritisation is key to the cultural and social revolution needed to rediscover a culture based on sharing.
Play exhibitions
As a visual complement to the key themes of the conference, there was an exhibition of the achievements of Play England’s third sector adventure playground funding programme. In addition, delegates could also view the photographic exhibition, A String of Beads by Penny Wilson, as part of the Play Association of Tower Hamlets (PATH) Play Times Project, which uses the power of nostalgia and narrative imagery to capture the memories of childhood play. The conference made it clear that the
play sector has made enormous strides; largely thanks to the investment from the government and the Big Lottery Fund. Importantly, the play sector has also successfully argued its case with a growing understanding of how em- bedding quality play opportunities contributes to a wide range of positive outcomes for the whole community. To access the visual minutes, speaker
presentations and endorse the mani- festo, visit
www.playengland.org.uk ●
Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
67
Without adventure play, civilisation is in full decay
Tony Kendle, Eden Project
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84