More children across the capital and the Lothians will be out playing in their communities this summer after local charities received a funding boost.
19 Charities across Scotland have received the money to increase outdoor play opportunities, through Thrive Outdoors, a programme run by Inspiring Scotland and supported by Scottish Government which aims to increase opportunities for children to be healthy, happy and resilient, to form friendships, to learn vital skills and, most importantly, to have fun, all through playing outdoors.
Three Edinburgh projects – North Edinburgh Arts, Circle and Canongate Youth – have received funding.
The funded sessions are delivered locally in community spaces such as parks, playgrounds, streets and woodlands by Play Rangers, trained play workers who support and encourage the children while providing reassuring adult supervision for parents and families. The sessions are unstructured and child-led, allowing the children to use their creativity and imagination to develop their own games and ways to have fun.
The chosen charities are already offering free play sessions, throughout Scotland, and will continue over the summer holidays and during school holiday periods later in the year.
Through Thrive Outdoors, Inspiring Scotland is working to embed outdoor play and learning in the fabric of Scottish life so that all of Scotland’s children can thrive. Playing outdoors is vital for children’s health and wellbeing; it boosts physical activity, promotes mental wellbeing and supports children to learn essential social and emotional skills.
Celia Tennant, Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased to be funding another year of community Play Rangers across Scotland. You cannot truly appreciate the benefits of outdoor play until you see it in person; the happy faces, the laughter, children learning about themselves and the world around them by having fun. The way even the shyest children begins to open up and seek out adventure, is truly amazing.”
Outdoor play is invaluable to support children’s health through increasing physical activity and is recognised by academics as a vital ingredient to learning and brain development, boosting creativity, imagination and social skills.
One of the aims of Thrive Outdoors is to combat rising child obesity rates in Scotland and to support Scottish Government’s Attainment challenge through outdoor play-based learning.
As well as community Play Rangers, Thrive Outdoors also runs Active Play, a programme of outdoor play in primary schools in Glasgow, Dundee and Highland, and has partnered with Glasgow City Council to establish three outdoor nurseries in the city. Scottish Government recently invested in Thrive Outdoors to expand outdoor nurseries in a further seven local authorities.
Through Thrive Outdoors, the chosen charities will receive additional support from Inspiring Scotland. This includes, staff training and development and access to Inspiring Scotland’s pool of pro bono volunteers, professionals and business people who lend their time and expertise to charities to help them strengthen and develop their work.
Wednesday 1 August is National Play Day. Details of special play events across Scotland can be found at http://www.playday.org.uk/ or through the local charities.
The supported charities are:
- Aberdeen Play Forum (Aberdeen)
- Barra Children’s Centre (Western Isles)
- Care and Learning Alliance (Highland)
- Canongate Youth (Edinburgh)
- Circle (Edinburgh)
- Concrete Garden (Glasgow)
- Cumbernauld YMCA (North Lanarkshire)
- Healthy Valleys (South Lanarkshire)
- Maryhill Mobile Children’s Services (Glasgow)
- North Edinburgh Arts (Edinburgh)
- Parent Action for Safe Play (North Lanarkshire)
- Possibilities for Each and Every Kid (Glasgow)
- Play Midlothian (Midlothian)
- Simply Play (West Lothian)
- Stepping Stones for Families (Glasgow)
- Stranraer YMCA (Dumfries & Galloway)
- The Yard (Dundee)
- The Zone Initiative (East Ayrshire)
- Y Sort it (West Dunbartonshire)
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