Warwickshire’s children exercise their right to play
Young people from across Warwickshire will be taking part in Playday, the annual celebration of children’s right to play today (Wednesday 1 August 2007).
This year’s theme for national playday - Our streets too! highlights the importance of play in local areas and that play-friendly neighbourhoods offer huge benefits to the whole community.
Through their Snax’n’Sports programme, Positive about Young People (PaYP) have organised a host of free activities in local neighbourhoods across the county to celebrate children’s play.
From 12-3pm on Wednesday 1 August, playday events will be taking place in Vale View in Stockingford and Hilltop POD in Middlemarch Road, Nuneaton; Long Street, Dordon; Millennium Green, Craven Road, Rugby; Packmores, Lyttleton Road, Warwick; The Close, Lower Quinton; and St Faith’s Road, Alcester.
The sessions are open to children aged between 8-13. Fun activities and games will be on offer and all sessions include a free lunch. Parents should log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/payp for a consent form.
Hub 119 a new organisation based in Camp Hill that supports children, young people and their families through positive activities will also be celebrating National Play Day to the theme of ‘Inside, Outside’. Activities include wet and dry sand play; mud-painting; water play with bubbles and ice blocks, water guns; and much, much more.
PaYP is a partnership between Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Police. This summer PaYP is running more than two hundred Snax‘n’Sports sessions, which will benefit thousands of young people across the county including those with special needs. The aim of the programme is to promote better quality of life for young people in high impact areas during the school holidays.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Warwickshire County Council, said: “Having the space and freedom to play is central to the ongoing development of young people. We would urge children across Warwickshire to celebrate play day and find out more about the many play activities that are being organised by Positive about Young People this summer.”
Playday is coordinated nationally by Play England, part of the National Children’s Bureau, working in partnership with PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play Scotland and Play Wales. Now in its 20th year, the national campaign involves thousands of children and young people getting out to play at locally organised events. Playday events range from small-scale neighbourhood get-togethers to large-scale public events organised by local authorities and national organisations.