Media
MEDIA RELEASE – 20.01.2012
Play England calls for community action to help children missing out on outdoor play
More local support to help children play outside is being called for by Play England, part of leading children’s charity the National Children’s Bureau, as a growing body of research shows that children today do not have the same opportunities to play outside as their parents did, and are missing out on everyday childhood experiences.
The research shows that:
- Just 21% of children play outdoors every day near home, compared to 71% of their parents when they were a child; 1
- 7 out of 10 parents feel that taking their children to an outside space to play is a real treat and children feel the same, with a reported 59 per cent wishing they could play outside in natural places more and; 2
- one third of today’s children say they have never built a den, 32 per cent say they have never climbed a tree and one in ten children have never ridden a bike.2
The Government has awarded £2 million through a Big Society Fund to the Play England Free Time Consortium, a group of 17 local and specialist organisations working together to increase children and young people’s opportunities for play and recreation. The money will enable the consortium to drive community involvement so that they can help make their neighbourhoods places where children can play outside more often.
Catherine Prisk, Director of Play England, said: ’Playing outside, chalking on the pavement, climbing trees and riding your bike are simple pleasures that many of today’s children are missing out on. Play is essential for children’s health and happiness now, and is also essential for making friends, building key skills for the future and for feeling you are part of a community. The Love Outdoor Play Campaign – backed up by real opportunities offered by local organisations across the country – will make it easy for everyone to get involved in making England a place where children once more have the freedom to play outside every day after school and in the holidays.’
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said: ’I think we all know the importance of play to children. Over the past ten years a culture of red tape has stifled the freedom of children to climb trees, make dens and enjoy the simple pleasure of outdoor play. That is why we have awarded £2 million to Play England so that they can get more people involved in creating invaluable opportunities for children to play outside – this is all part of our drive to create a bigger stronger society where people are empowered to make a difference to their community.’
The consortium brings together local voluntary sector groups from across England who will offer a range of volunteering opportunities that include street parties, holiday play schemes, helping out on adventure playgrounds, or becoming a trustee. It is expected to create over create over 20,000 new volunteering opportunities. There will also be one off opportunities to help build new play spaces – such as making rope swings or digging paddling pools – and for professionals to help their local play organisation with their website or their business plans. In addition there will be special programmes for young people to volunteer in their own communities, and further afield.
Volunteering has always been at the heart of play services across the country providing invaluable benefits for local communities, children and the volunteers themselves. At Shiremoor Adventure Playground in North Tyneside Justine, a parent who regularly takes her five-year-old to the playground, started volunteering 16 months ago. Inspired by the staff and the amazing work they do with the children and young people, she discovered a grant that could help them plug gaps in funds. Justine applied for the grant, and last October, the playground received £4,400 from the Big Lottery Fund to run weekly youth sessions. She now volunteers at the playground five days a week and last year started an NVQ level 2 in Playwork.
Justine said: ‘Volunteering has increased my confidence and given me perspective on what I want to do with my life. If someone had said to me a year ago I’d be doing this I’d have said no way - I’d never have thought I’d go back to college. Kids can always turn everything into a positive, they have me on a high all the time – I love it!
She continued: ‘Whatever your skills, whatever time you have to spare, there is a way that you can help your neighbourhood become a place where children have more freedom to play outside. ‘
The public is being asked to take the first step, by logging onto www.LoveOutdoorPlay.net to find out how they can get involved. Through the blog, email, Facebook and Twitter supporters will be kept up to date with opportunities across the country – and they are also invited to share how their support is helping more children have the freedom to play outside a bit more every day.
ENDS
NCB media Office on 020 7843 6045 / 6047,or media@ncb.org.uk for enquiries/interview bids. Out of hours mobile 07721 097 033
Cabinet Office Press Office 22 Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2WH, Elise Simpson 0207 276 0393, www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk, out of hours telephone 07699 113300 and ask for pager number 721338
Notes to editors
Research was carried out by:
1 ICM in June 2007 for Play England to support Playday 2007.
2 OnePoll in June 2011 for Savlon/Play England to support Playday 2011
Unicef reports continue to show that England is still one of the unhappy places to grow up.
Across the UK we’ve just celebrated 20 years since we signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet what do we do to support article 31 – the right of all children and young people to have freedom to play and time and space for recreation?
About Play England
Play England is part of the leading national children’s charity the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), and campaigns for all children to have the freedom and space to play throughout childhood. As the national organisation for children’s play, Play England works with all those who have an impact on children’s lives to support and champion play as an essential part of childhood. For further information or to talk to a media spokesperson, call 020 7843 6045 or 07721 097033 or visit www.playengland.org.uk.
The Play England Free Time Consortium brings together 17 local and specialist voluntary sector organisations supporting children’s play from Torbay to North Tyneside. The Social Action Fund is contributing £2 million to support the consortium in campaigning to increase social action in support of outdoor play for children, in promoting outdoor play, providing play resources and setting up or expanding play schemes through social action, so that far more children can enjoy outdoor play on their own streets, in local parks and play spaces, in adventure playgrounds, after school and in holiday play schemes. Projects will also support parents in setting up local groups to increase outside playtime and offer young people – including disabled children – dedicated volunteering programmes both in their own neighbourhoods and further afield. For more information please go to www.playengland.org.uk or www.loveoutdoorplay.net
About the National Children’s Bureau
The National Children’s Bureau’s (NCB) mission is to advance the well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. As the leading national charity which supports children, young people and families, and those who work with them, across England and Northern Ireland, we focus on identifying and communicating high impact, community and family-centred solutions. We work with organisations from across the voluntary, statutory and private sectors through our membership scheme and through the sector-led specialist networks and partnership programmes that operate under our charitable status www.ncb.org.uk
PRESS BRIEFING – 31.03.2011
Do Some Good for Love Outdoor Play
Orange launches a mobile volunteering app today that will allow children, families and volunteers to map places to play. Called ‘Do Some Good’ the revolutionary app from Orange allows iPhone users to mobile volunteer. A total of 12 actions are on the app, one of which is to map places to play for the Love Outdoor Play movement.
The Do Some Good website is at http://dosomegood.orange.co.uk/.
For the Orange newsroom visit http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/.
For Love Outdoor Play contacts scroll down to the end of this page.
….
Correction: Please note that there are now over 70 supporters of this campaign, 40 more than in the press release below.
PRESS RELEASE – FOR PUBLISHING ON OR AFTER 14.09.2010
Authors, explorers and charities unite to revive outdoor play
More than 30 respected authors, charities and explorers have come together to say that a ‘big society’ needs more children playing outdoors in our streets, parks and communities.
“Having the freedom to play outdoors improves the well-being of children and their communities. Together, we are building a visible community to support reasonably safe exploration, adventure and play. Wherever you see a Love Outdoor Play sticker or symbol, you’ll find people who welcome play and are looking out for young people” is the manifesto for the Love Outdoor Play campaign which launches on Tuesday 14th September.
“We are asking people to take a very simple action. Make or get a Love Outdoor Play sticker and put it up where you live or work. Research shows that in many communities we’re afraid of what other parents will think of us if we let our kids out to play or walk to school. By putting a sticker up you not only show that you support outdoor play but can start a conversation about how play can be improved for children where you live” explains Daniel Raven-Ellison, one of Love Outdoor Play’s organisers.
The Love Outdoor Play symbol is available under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. As long as you are not making a profit from the symbol and credit Love Outdoor Play anyone can use the symbol.
Authors The Geography Collective (Mission:Explore), Lenore Skenazy (Free Range Kids), Sue Atkins (Raising Happy Children for Dummies), Sue Palmer (Toxic Childhood), Nicola Baird (Homemade Kids), Bethe Almeras (Grass Stain Guru) have come together with explorers Benedict Allen, Olly Steeds, Jake Meyer, Alistair Humphreys and Bonita Norris in an effort to get more children playing outdoors again. The campaign is also supported by Play Scotland, Play England, the Campaign for Adventure, Digi Mums, Play Association Tower Hamlets, Institute of Outdoor Learning, Alliance for Childhood and the Association of Play Industries. A full list of supporters can be found at www.loveoutdoorplay.net.
Anyone can join the campaign and help to crowd fund stickers at www.loveoutdoorplay.net.
ENDS
Pictures:
Versions of the Love Outdoor Play symbol can be found at http://loveoutdoorplay.net/stickers/sticker-images
Notes to Editor:
Love Outdoor Play is being officially launched on the 14th of September. The campaign is led by The Geography Collective, a partnership of geography teachers, academics and explorers who work together to help young people learn about the world in new ways.
Contact for media enquiries to The Geography Collective:
@LoveOutdoorPlay @GeoColllective http://www.thegeographycollective.wordpress.com
LoveOutdoorPlay@thegeographycollective.co.uk
Daniel Raven-Ellison M: 07920 116748 E: daniel@thegeographycollective.co.uk
Abi Woodman M: 07870 417056 E: abigail@thegeographycollective.co.uk
Would love to become an Australian ambassador if you need one. Take a look at my fb page – Caro & Co or my blog http://salisburydowns.wordpress.com to see if you feel I qualify. Will sing your message loud and long. Cheers. xx
We would love to support your campaign – as a manufacturer of Outdoor play equipment for families, we believe in fresh air for EVERYONE in the family.
Take a look at our site http://www.gardengamesltd.co.uk perhaps we can get some of our retailers to support the campaign too??
get in touch we would love to support you.
Hi. You might find this short video interesting. Good luck with your campaign.
Mike