Our News Category: London Play in the news

This weekend, dozens of residential streets in London will become temporary play areas, reports Londonist.

World Car Free Day 2023 is celebrated on 22 September across the world, but here in London we’re making a long weekend of it. Across the capital, many streets will be closed off to traffic, allowing communities to get together on the tarmac. Space hoppers are optional.

The event is organised by London Play with help from Transport for London. The hundred or so streets taking part are all doing so voluntarily with the full buy-in of residents. It’s a chance to see how our streets can be used when the motor car is banished.

Got to Londonist to read more.

London Play has joined more than 40 of the UK’s leading children’s charities and child development experts in issuing a warning to the Covid-19 Inquiry chair of “unacceptable delays” to taking evidence from children on lockdown.

Save the Children UK, the NSPCC and the National Children’s Bureau are among the signatories of an open letter sent to inquiry chair the Rt Hon Baroness Heather Hallett asking her to commission experts to start recording children’s experiences immediately.

This intervention comes as new research released in recent weeks reveals the scale of the damage to children’s social and emotional development during the pandemic, as well as impacting on their communication skills.

Dan Paskins, director of UK Impact at Save the Children said: “Children are being silenced by this inquiry. Despite repeated promises from chair, the Rt Hon Baroness Heather Hallet, she would urgently ensure children’s memories are captured and the issue matters to her, no measures are in place to make this happen. 

“Children are not an afterthought or an inconvenience in this inquiry process. Their lives were turned upside down by government decisions and any barriers in the way of them having their say need to be removed immediately.” 

Louise King, Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law, said: “Hearing from children is now a critical issue for the proper functioning of the Covid Inquiry and these delays have gone on long enough. Children are one quarter of the population and there is simply no inquiry into what happened in the UK between 2020 and 2022 without them. 

“More than 40 organisations and child development experts are sending the strongest message possible that this lack of progress is no longer acceptable and this must be a wake up call for immediate action. We can’t sit by while more stories emerge of the pandemic’s impact on children without hearing from them directly and getting their views and personal experiences on record.”

The letter explains how there is still no clear public strategy and approach for listening to children and young people, especially those who experience inequalities or discrimination, nine months after this issue was first raised by Save the Children, Just for Law Kids and the Children’s Rights Alliance England.*

The inquiry’s recent advertising campaign for Every Story Matters (ESM), and the accompanying website emphasised “that all stories are important, and all stories should be told by those who wish to tell them”.

However, neither the website nor the advertising campaign makes any mention that this is an adult only activity and there is no provision for under 18s.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “Children’s needs often went under the radar during the pandemic but we heard first hand through Childline and the NSPCC Helpline about its devastating impact on many young people, particularly those subjected to abuse and neglect.

“Many of the children who suffered the most did so because they were hidden from those who could help them. It’s crucial the Covid Inquiry finally gives young people a voice so we can fully understand the support and services required to avoid a generation of children being defined by the pandemic.” 

Phillip Anderson, Strategic Director of External Affairs at the National Children’s Bureau, said: “Babies, children and young people have had their lives turned upside down by the pandemic. With school closures and social isolation undermining their development, many were also deprived of vital services like social care and health which were unable to provide business-as-usual support. 

“So, it is vital that the Covid-19 Inquiry listens hard to what a quarter of the population went through and reflects closely upon the experiences and ideas of children and young people themselves. If another pandemic strikes the next generation needs to be protected.”

The open letter is calling on the chair of the inquiry to:

• Make a public commitment to hear from children, and in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who experience other inequalities or discrimination.
• Ensure the research is carried out in partnership with an expert academic institution together with local community organisations with roots and credibility in particular communities which experience inequalities and discrimination.
• Make a commitment that the findings from this research will directly inform the scope of the planned children’s module** of the inquiry and publicly set out how children’s voices have influenced the inquiry once the research has been conducted.

More here.

The Guardian has shone a spotlight on one of the campaigns London Play is supporting through the Communities United for Play initiative: in Lewisham,  parents and children are angry that developers have firstly taken over the only playground in the area, and then failed to reopen it as promised.

The story was picked up by ITV London News as shown in the clip below.

The past decade has seen a revival in 1970s-style “playing out”, as kids reclaim our roads. Here’s a guide on which London boroughs are on board and how to do it yourself.

16 June 2023, Evening Standard

But in some areas of the capital “playing out” is making a comeback. Over the past decade a parent-led movement has started reclaiming residential roads as “Play Streets” and closing them off to traffic for a few hours on the weekend.

Play streets legislation first came into action in 1938 and hit its peak in the 1960s when Street Playground Orders applied to around 750 streets in England and Wales.

But according to Fiona Sutherland, deputy director of charity London Play, the practice began to fizzle out in the 1980s, and today cars have taken priority on our cities’ streets.

“We unearthed the dormant Play Streets legislation in 2012 and began working with councils and people to bring play back to the capital’s streets. Over the last decade we’ve seen a proper revival and now residents in 23 London boroughs can apply. We’re working on the remaining ten.”

According to Sutherland, for such a “simple intervention”, the benefits of Play Streets are huge for adults as well as children.

“Adults come out and gather on the street too which is great for tackling loneliness and strengthening relationships between neighbours. Children start to ‘knock’ for each other between sessions and it really brings communities together.”

Asked if people ever oppose Play Streets, Sutherland said while the large majority of a street will back the idea there will usually be around one per cent of people who oppose it.

“The way we see it is that children are the ones who have sacrificed play space and independence for cars. This is a small tip of the balance back in their favour.”

For the full story visit the Standard website here

Or get in touch with us to find out how you and your neighbours could be enjoying your street this summer!

Lewisham Council has approved a new five-year play strategy developed by London Play. The document sets out an ambition to make Lewisham a more child-friendly borough.

The strategy, approved in October, aims to ensure all residents have play facilities within walking distance of their home, as well as improving consultation with children and parents when developing new play spaces.

A new five-year action plan will be developed to help realise the ambitions set out in the strategy. This will seek to improve the current adventure playground offer and invest in play spaces, as well putting children’s and parent’s voices at the heart of decision-making and ensuring a greater focus on play spaces in new housing developments.

The strategy was developed in partnership with London Play, informed by ideas from over 900 residents. Community engagement sessions and surveys were carried out to understand more about children’s experiences of play in Lewisham and how parents support their children to play.

Councillor Chris Barnham, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Community Safety, said:

“Play is crucial to children’s development and wellbeing. We are committed to making Lewisham a play-friendly borough and this strategy, informed by the views of children and parents, will support that by providing more opportunities and spaces to play. Every child should live within walking distance of a play space and our Play Strategy will help make that a reality.”

Emmerson Sutton, aged 15, London Youth Games Ambassador Lewisham:

“I want to play my part in making this borough more active and playful and look forward to meeting fellow young people in parks and play areas to discuss how to make sustainable improvements to these precious spaces. A comprehensive play strategy for children and young people in Lewisham is a great start, with the aim of having fun and upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

More on Lewisham Council’s website here.

London Play is hopeful that other London councils will follow Lewisham’s lead. We invite anyone who is interested in developing a play strategy in their borough to contact us via info@londonplay.org.uk

London is set to become ‘Britain’s biggest playground’ this summer as mayor Sadiq Khan launches a search for five special kids to become London’s first Mayors of Play and London Play brings ‘Formula Fun’ go kart action to the city streets.

London Play will be bringing joy back to the city streets this summer as part of the Mayor’s ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign, to encourage Londoners and visitors back into the capital.

Mayor of London press release

Sadiq Khan formally signed in for a second term as Mayor of London on Monday 10 May, on stage at the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe, as he announced plans for the biggest domestic tourism campaign the capital has ever seen to help London’s economy get back on its feet as COVID restrictions are eased.

An immediate priority for the Mayor will be his new ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign, launching today, which is being created in partnership with the city’s hospitality, culture, and retail industries. The flagship campaign to encourage Londoners and visitors back into central London will include a programme of one-off special events created in partnership with London’s best-known cultural institutions and tourism attractions. It will kick off later this month

Kicking off in spring with  the capital’s famous chefs, foodies and hospitality venues coming together to promote and celebrate London’s world-class food offer, the summer will offer families and children a plethora of free, joyful opportunities.

London Play, the capital’s leading charity for children’s play, will be opening up central London for families and transforming streets with play.

Other summer attractions will include the London Festival of Hope which “will bring a true celebration of life with an art and photography contest, competitions for all the family including an amateur ‘bake-off’, community activations, giant inflatables taking over London’s skyline and a series of outdoor live music concerts that will reimagine the performance space.” The Southbank Centre will welcome audiences back with their Summer Reunion programme – 15 consecutive weekends of free outdoor activity from and the Tate Modern will also be offering large scale free activities during the summer.

Click here for full details in the press release on the Mayor of London website.

London Play has joined academics and other play campaigners in calling on the government to support ‘a summer of play’ to help children recover from the stress of lockdown and a year of Covid upheaval.

Instead of extra lessons, catch-up summer schools and longer school days, we believe that children should be encouraged to spend the coming months outdoors, being physically active and having fun with their friends.

As the Guardian reported:

Psychologists have reported behavioural changes in some children following the first lockdown last year. After months of isolation from friends, some struggled to share and play together, teachers reported more fights and fallings-out, and Ofsted observed a worrying drop in physical fitness.

As the government draws up its latest education catch-up plans, to be unveiled in the coming weeks, a group of academics calling themselves PlayFirstUK have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, appealing for a new emphasis on play, mental health and wellbeing as children emerge from lockdown.

“This spring and summer should not be filled with extra lessons,” the letter says. “Children, teachers and parents need time and space to recover from the stress that the past year has placed on them.

As part of a wider recovery process, children should be encouraged and supported to spend time outdoors, playing with other children and being physically active. Where it is needed, evidence-based mental health support must be made available.”

It continues: “This is not an either-or decision. Social connection and play offer myriad learning opportunities and are positively associated with children’s academic attainment and literacy.”

The group cautioned that intensive “catch-up” plans, intended to help pupils make up lost ground as a result of the pandemic, could end up worsening children’s mental health and wellbeing, and have a negative effect on learning in the long term.

Read more here