Playing for success

The celebrations of the Play East Staffs Partnership were held at Branston Golf Course on Thursday 5th March, marking a successful year of achievement for children’s play in the Borough. The partnership launched its play strategy last year, vowing to give young people the opportunity to access play for free, as well as being free to come and go and free to choose what to do.

Following the successful application of a Big Lottery grant and the support of Play England, five projects have been launched including the Tutbury Teens play area, Unity Park, Staffordshire County Council’s Toy Library, Stafford Playaway Scrap and the introduction of Satellite Playdays in Barton, Rocester and Uttoxeter adding to the already fantastic Playday event, organised by Jane Wells.

Cllr Bernard Peters, Deputy Leader for Health and Leisure and proud Play Champion got proceedings underway. Cllr Peters said the ‘work had been outstanding’ and the issues around play remained, ‘hosting the conference has brought together the right partners to take the work into year 2 of the strategy’. Cllr Peters also recognised what the importance play has on both physical and mental health and development.

Simeon Packard, invited key speaker and founder of Play Solutions Consultants, gave an inspiring presentation looking at how communities can come together to develop play in their areas. Simeon gave examples from other areas of England as well as reflecting on visits he had made to other European countries such as Denmark. He insists that play doesn’t have to mean swings and slides and that there is a great natural environment that lends itself to free play opportunities, it just takes a bit of imagination he concluded.

The third part of the conference celebrated in style the year’s achievements in a ‘chat show’ style presentation. ‘Chat Show host’, Vicki Brearley, Head of Sport, Physical Health and Community Development for East Staffordshire Borough Council interviewed guests that had contributed to the development and implementation of the East Staffs Play Strategy, bringing back old friends such as Charles Dean, who hand delivered the Big Lottery Play Application and other partners including Staffordshire Wildlife, Play Partnership Chairman, Duncan Cowie, South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust and Janet Dean MP who also chairs the All Parties Parliamentary Play Council.

The delegates finally sat in workgroups to look at the challenges for the forthcoming year, and committed to attending the next partnership meeting on Weds 29^th April, 2.00 pm at the Children’s Centre, Burton upon Trent, before Cllr Kathy Lamb, Chair of East Staffs District Children’s Trust gave a farewell speech and shared her thoughts on how we should bring back the ‘joy’ of play and free time.

For further information contact Vicki Brearley on vicki.brearley@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk or 01283 505911 for more details.