HomepageNews and eventsLondon's kids win millionaire playgrounds London's kids win millionaire playgrounds Tweet Print Area:LondonProgramme:Childrens PlayPlayful IdeasRelease date:20 2 2007 New Lottery millions are set to enthuse young hearts and reawaken the spirit of play, with the announcement of a £3million play cash pot for children’s play projects across the capital. The cash forms a slice of the Big Lottery Fund’s £155 million Children’s Play initiative, which funds projects that create, improve and design innovative children’s play facilities. Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund Head of London Region, welcomed the new funding news: “Good play is an essential engine for improving children’s quality of life and wellbeing - we want our funding to be the spark that lights the fuse for more good play opportunities. It’s through play that children unravel the world around them; it allows them to explore new possibilities. These projects will, I hope, play a big role in the social development and intellectual growth of the next generation of young Londoner’s.” Among the successful projects today is Brent Children’s Play Service who have secured funding worth £741,336 to deliver four projects offering free, open access to play for all children in Brent. Reaching out to children who have limited or no access to play will be a top priority. A mobile team of ‘Play Rangers’ will be sent around Brent Council parks and open spaces to ensure that children living in high rise or high density developments have access to supervised play opportunities. The children of Brent were consulted about their needs and unanimously put adventure play at the top of their agenda; one project will transform a local area into a first class adventure play centre and will include adapted equipment for children with disabilities Doug Lee, Head of Brent Council Children’s Play Service, said: “Children will have a safe place to play, stay together and make their communities stronger; and the future for Brent an even brighter place to live, to work and to play.” Over in West London Ealing Play Service will collect £790,198 in play dough, which will be used to mould new and exciting play facilities. Ealing has one of the most concentrated youth populations in London, along with high areas of social disadvantage. The grant will make a significant impact on the quality of life of children in the Borough and increase the fun factor in play. Through a portfolio of 12 projects at 21 locations, Ealing will provide new play areas, refurbish existing play space and create new supervised play facilities. The projects will create opportunities for children to explore their world, aid their social and educational self-development and encourage integration into the society around them. Jeff Parkinson, Ealing Children’s Services Manager, said: “The new play services created by this grant from the Big Lottery Fund, will increase the opportunities for children to exercise choice in their lives and offer them the freedom to explore their world. This will support their health, social development and integration into wider society”. Across town in Waltham Forest, children are looking forward to a raft of exciting projects that will create new opportunities for play and fun in the borough’s parks and open spaces. The council are the recipients of £680,787, which will engage more than 8,000 local children every year in playgrounds and play initiatives. The funding will support a major transformation of park playgrounds in three areas that account for 78 per cent of the borough’s under 18s. Four other projects, including seven high profile play days in parks throughout the borough, will deliver free play services aimed at maximising inclusion and promoting the importance of play for all. Cllr Chris Robbins, Waltham Forest Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "Waltham Forest has been fortunate to have a champion in Councillor Angie Bean who has ensured the play agenda is a high priority. The grant from BIG is a tremendous opportunity to ensure all of Waltham Forest's children and young people can maximise their health and well-being, develop their social and communications skills, and achieve their potential through quality play." In today’s other funding news: Kingston Council cash in £271,007 for improving outdoor play provision in disadvantaged areas; meanwhile, a new inclusive adventure playground on a farm, and BMX and skateboard facilities are on their way to Bexley Council, as they collect a £501,215 grant. The Big Lottery Fund is also announcing news of grants awarded through a separate £16 million Playful Ideas programme focussing on innovation. Taking innovation as a cue is the Haven House Foundation, gearing up to use their £164,364 to provide a unique play service for life-limited children. Play workers will visit children at home, to help the family to play with the child in a familiar environment. The funding will provide an opportunity for parents, siblings and friends to learn how to play with a child who is life limited but deserves the same rights of play. Jeremy Todd, CEO Haven House Foundation, said: “Play services for children with life limiting or life threatening illnesses are limited. This funding support is crucial to the wellbeing of children, as it removes the medical model and allows children to learn and develop in non clinical environments.” For a full list of the 32 awards from the Children's Play programme, please click hereFor a full list of the 9 awards from the Playful Ideas programme, please click here Further Information Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030Textphone: 845 6021 659Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk Notes to Editors The Big Lottery Fund will support children’s play with £155 million through: the £124 million Children’s Play programme, with funds available to every local authority area in England; a separate £16 million Playful Ideas programme focussing on innovation; and a £15 million grant to the Children’s Play Council, part of the National Children’s Bureau, to fund England-wide development and support. Under the Children’s Play programme, in deciding how best to allocate the available funds to each authority the Big Lottery Fund have allocated: 50 per cent of the funding on the basis of child population, and 50 per cent of the regional population living in the most deprived 20% of Super Output Areas included in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004. The minimum amount allocated to any local authority is £200,000. Under Playful Ideas registered charities; voluntary or community groups; charitable or not-for-profit companies; social enterprises; and town and parish councils can apply. However, other organisations, such as schools, can work in partnership on Playful Ideas projects. The Big Lottery Fund awarded a grant to the Children’s Play Council a strategic alliance of organisations working to promote the importance of play and to stimulate better play opportunities. Play England - a project of the Children’s Play Council - lead on this work by helping agencies to develop play strategies and apply for Children's Play funding. For further information please visit www.ncb.org.uk The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project. TagsBeneficiariesYoung people ThemesEnvironment Stronger communities Young People CategoryRegeneration
Area:LondonProgramme:Childrens PlayPlayful IdeasRelease date:20 2 2007 New Lottery millions are set to enthuse young hearts and reawaken the spirit of play, with the announcement of a £3million play cash pot for children’s play projects across the capital. The cash forms a slice of the Big Lottery Fund’s £155 million Children’s Play initiative, which funds projects that create, improve and design innovative children’s play facilities. Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund Head of London Region, welcomed the new funding news: “Good play is an essential engine for improving children’s quality of life and wellbeing - we want our funding to be the spark that lights the fuse for more good play opportunities. It’s through play that children unravel the world around them; it allows them to explore new possibilities. These projects will, I hope, play a big role in the social development and intellectual growth of the next generation of young Londoner’s.” Among the successful projects today is Brent Children’s Play Service who have secured funding worth £741,336 to deliver four projects offering free, open access to play for all children in Brent. Reaching out to children who have limited or no access to play will be a top priority. A mobile team of ‘Play Rangers’ will be sent around Brent Council parks and open spaces to ensure that children living in high rise or high density developments have access to supervised play opportunities. The children of Brent were consulted about their needs and unanimously put adventure play at the top of their agenda; one project will transform a local area into a first class adventure play centre and will include adapted equipment for children with disabilities Doug Lee, Head of Brent Council Children’s Play Service, said: “Children will have a safe place to play, stay together and make their communities stronger; and the future for Brent an even brighter place to live, to work and to play.” Over in West London Ealing Play Service will collect £790,198 in play dough, which will be used to mould new and exciting play facilities. Ealing has one of the most concentrated youth populations in London, along with high areas of social disadvantage. The grant will make a significant impact on the quality of life of children in the Borough and increase the fun factor in play. Through a portfolio of 12 projects at 21 locations, Ealing will provide new play areas, refurbish existing play space and create new supervised play facilities. The projects will create opportunities for children to explore their world, aid their social and educational self-development and encourage integration into the society around them. Jeff Parkinson, Ealing Children’s Services Manager, said: “The new play services created by this grant from the Big Lottery Fund, will increase the opportunities for children to exercise choice in their lives and offer them the freedom to explore their world. This will support their health, social development and integration into wider society”. Across town in Waltham Forest, children are looking forward to a raft of exciting projects that will create new opportunities for play and fun in the borough’s parks and open spaces. The council are the recipients of £680,787, which will engage more than 8,000 local children every year in playgrounds and play initiatives. The funding will support a major transformation of park playgrounds in three areas that account for 78 per cent of the borough’s under 18s. Four other projects, including seven high profile play days in parks throughout the borough, will deliver free play services aimed at maximising inclusion and promoting the importance of play for all. Cllr Chris Robbins, Waltham Forest Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "Waltham Forest has been fortunate to have a champion in Councillor Angie Bean who has ensured the play agenda is a high priority. The grant from BIG is a tremendous opportunity to ensure all of Waltham Forest's children and young people can maximise their health and well-being, develop their social and communications skills, and achieve their potential through quality play." In today’s other funding news: Kingston Council cash in £271,007 for improving outdoor play provision in disadvantaged areas; meanwhile, a new inclusive adventure playground on a farm, and BMX and skateboard facilities are on their way to Bexley Council, as they collect a £501,215 grant. The Big Lottery Fund is also announcing news of grants awarded through a separate £16 million Playful Ideas programme focussing on innovation. Taking innovation as a cue is the Haven House Foundation, gearing up to use their £164,364 to provide a unique play service for life-limited children. Play workers will visit children at home, to help the family to play with the child in a familiar environment. The funding will provide an opportunity for parents, siblings and friends to learn how to play with a child who is life limited but deserves the same rights of play. Jeremy Todd, CEO Haven House Foundation, said: “Play services for children with life limiting or life threatening illnesses are limited. This funding support is crucial to the wellbeing of children, as it removes the medical model and allows children to learn and develop in non clinical environments.” For a full list of the 32 awards from the Children's Play programme, please click hereFor a full list of the 9 awards from the Playful Ideas programme, please click here Further Information Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030Textphone: 845 6021 659Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk Notes to Editors The Big Lottery Fund will support children’s play with £155 million through: the £124 million Children’s Play programme, with funds available to every local authority area in England; a separate £16 million Playful Ideas programme focussing on innovation; and a £15 million grant to the Children’s Play Council, part of the National Children’s Bureau, to fund England-wide development and support. Under the Children’s Play programme, in deciding how best to allocate the available funds to each authority the Big Lottery Fund have allocated: 50 per cent of the funding on the basis of child population, and 50 per cent of the regional population living in the most deprived 20% of Super Output Areas included in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004. The minimum amount allocated to any local authority is £200,000. Under Playful Ideas registered charities; voluntary or community groups; charitable or not-for-profit companies; social enterprises; and town and parish councils can apply. However, other organisations, such as schools, can work in partnership on Playful Ideas projects. The Big Lottery Fund awarded a grant to the Children’s Play Council a strategic alliance of organisations working to promote the importance of play and to stimulate better play opportunities. Play England - a project of the Children’s Play Council - lead on this work by helping agencies to develop play strategies and apply for Children's Play funding. For further information please visit www.ncb.org.uk The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project. TagsBeneficiariesYoung people ThemesEnvironment Stronger communities Young People CategoryRegeneration