PLAY
THE CASE FOR PLAY T
he recent government an- nouncement that funding for playgrounds will not be entirely scrapped is welcome news to
many communities that have campaigned tirelessly to save their local play areas. In a letter to local authorities, Educa-
tion Secretary Michael Gove stated that £20.8m had been shaved off the original £75m budget for improving and building
playgrounds as part of the final phase of the original three-year Playbuilder scheme. It’s now up to local authorities to ensure
that this funding is channelled towards creating better play spaces for children across the UK. Gove commented: “I know how important it is that children and fami- lies have safe, free local places to play; and the hard work that local authorities are doing to make this a reality.”
CASE STUDY: HAPPY RESULT FOR THE COMMUNITY
Active Parents for Park Improvements) after noticing dilapidated play equip- ment being removed from their local park. Together with their local com- munity development worker from the Trust for Developing Communities, they contacted the council for a park and play equipment refurbishment and helped to raise funds towards the project. The HAPPI Group consulted local resi-
T
dents for their views and encouraged the children at nearby schools to design their ideal playground. Working with Brighton and Hove City
Council, the HAPPI Group was allocated £50,000 of Playbuilder funding and raised another £40,000 from environ-
wo years ago, a group of local people in Hollingbury, Brighton set up the HAPPI Group (Hollingbury
mental trust Veolia. This paid for a Kompan-equipped toddler area near the community centre, a rope climber and other play equipment for older children. The community group is now raising additional funds of £10,000 for a zip-wire and other equipment for teenagers, with the help of the local paper, the Argus. Local community development worker,
Linda Saltwell, has noticed the benefits of play and the wider and positive impact on the local community. “We’ve moved from some 260 households which were disengaged with the park on their door- step, to having a very active community- led group and 400 people at the Spring 2010 opening day. The playground refurbishment project has brought people together and stimulated a better sense of community spirit.
Deborah Holt of the Association of Play Industries discusses some of the issues facing the play industry since the funding cuts in this sector and highlights successful projects
The benefits of play Before the Playbuilder scheme was put in place two years ago, the Labour gov- ernment commissioned Play England to conduct a survey on play and the findings revealed shocking figures. One in four eight- to 10-year-olds had never played outside without an adult and one in three parents didn’t even allow their chil- dren to play outside the house or garden! The findings also confirmed what ev-
ery child and most parents know – that playing is a deeply instinctive need. Children are motivated to play because they enjoy it, and what they enjoy is its uncertainty and spontaneity; express- ing themselves and how they’re feeling, within a safe space. The findings also showed that playing causes the brain to develop flexible responses to experiences and relationships. Playing freely with friends, the study
found, let children experience primary emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, happiness, shock and disgust. The rules of the game, meanwhile, developed second- ary emotions such as pride, shame and sympathy. The academics concluded that play was important when it came to form- ing friendships, building resilience and boosting emotional and physical health.
Community links During the past two years of Playbuilder funding, it has been proved that invest- ment in new and refurbished play areas also brings communities together – through consultation, fundraising and engaging children and parents to use the new play areas. The original £235m spent on play has
updated a number of aging play areas and introduced new opportunities for children to play. However, there are still hundreds of aging, dilapidated play- grounds across the country (some more than 20 years old) and once they are deemed unsafe they will be removed. Many original play areas were deemed
Good play facilities bring communities together
unsuitable to cater for older children (aged between eight and 13 years of age) and so the Playbuilder scheme came into
66 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 4 2010 © cybertrek 2010
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