Hundreds join Warwickshire Wave for National Play Day
Children and young people across Warwickshire began National Play Day celebrations with a friendly wave to counties throughout the West Midlands.
Hundreds gathered at locally organised events to mark the occasion, waving hands in the air towards children in Staffordshire, who in turn shouted to children in Stoke-on-Trent, who then stamped to others in Coventry, who in turn chanted to children in Solihull and so on.
The ‘Warwickshire Wave’ idea was started by Michael Maguire, Head of Warwickshire County Council’s Positive about Young People programme, to mark National Play Day – a campaign highlighting the importance of play in a child’s life and that of the community.
Michael Maguire said: “It is very heartening to see so many children, young people and their parents at events despite the bad weather, and I would like to thank everyone involved.
“This support shows that the community realises that play, in whatever form, is a big part of a child’s development – it encourages them to express themselves and helps them build on essential skills that they can use later in life.”
Warwickshire County Council’s Positive about Young People programme held a number of Play Day events - incorporating the wave - such as Snax ‘N’ Sports; while others were arranged in partnership with the borough and district councils such as Caldecott Park in Rugby and Stratford Recreation Ground, both supported through the Big Lottery Fund and Play England.
To find out more about National Play Day visit http://www.playday.org.uk or for more information about Warwickshire County Council’s Positive about Young People Scheme, visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/payp.