News

30/10/23

London Play Press Releases

Play hard work hard - it's win win for SWAPA

A Hackney adventure playground has ‘outplayed’ others from across the capital to win the title of London Adventure Playground of the Year 2023. Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground was one of 16 shortlisted in the London Adventure Play Awards last week to join the hotly-anticipated annual event run by the charity London Play.

23/09/23

London Play in the news

It's Car Free Day this weekend

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

13/09/23

London Play Press Releases

Spacehopper the 'only way' to travel this Car Free Day!

Spacehopper will be the only way to travel on more than 100 streets in London over Car Free Day weekend this month.

21/08/23

Play news

Holiday clubs rare as hens' teeth for disabled kids

A survey of parents and carers for disabled children has found that only four per cent have been able to find holiday clubs which meet their needs this summer.

18/08/23

Play news

New Hainault Forest playground crowns £1.7m play investment

A newly built playground at Hainault Forest is now open, marking the final phase of a £ 1.7m investment programme to improve and transform play areas across the borough of Redbridge.

15/08/23

London Play in the news

Children's voices must be heard on Covid

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.

11/08/23

Play news

Dire picture of declining outdoor play

A report from Play England shows that children playing out on their street regularly brings big benefits for their health and wellbeing - but are increasingly being prevented from doing so by parents worried about upsetting the neighbours.

10/08/23

Play news

England’s playgrounds crumble as council budgets fall

The Guardian reports that playgrounds around England are falling to pieces, missing large pieces of play equipment, or simply being locked up, as councils facing huge budget cuts struggle to maintain them.

17/07/23

Play news

Children's Commissioner recruiting young ambassadors

The Children's Commissioner is on the hunt for 16 and 17 year olds - and particularly those in challenging circumstances - to join a programme which aims to put young voices at the heart of government decision-making.

17/07/23

Play news

Never mind the mess!

Parents and educators recognise the benefits of nature play but despite this, many try to dissuade children from play which is perceived as risky or messy, research from Australia shows.

10/07/23

London Play Press Releases

Spacehoppers to take over London’s streets

Londoners are being invited to ‘swap their cars for spacehoppers’ this September, when at least 200 streets across the capital are hoped to transform into temporary play spaces in celebration of Car Free Day.

02/07/23

London Play in the news

Nowhere to play in New Cross

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.

22/06/23

Play news

Friends groups: powerful, but patchy

There are around 900 parks friends groups in London involving 100,000 volunteers. Many are instrumental in driving forward improvements to play facilities but some boroughs are missing out according to a CPRE London report.

20/06/23

London Play in the news

Road closed for fun! London’s Play Street craze

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

11/06/23

Play news

Donne Buck 1934-2023

London Play was sad to hear of the death earlier this year of Donne Buck, playworker, campaigner and archivist of children's play.

09/06/23

Play news

UK government told to prioritise play

London Play is one of a coalition of children’s charities calling on the government to urgently put children at the heart of its agenda, following a critical United Nations report on children’s rights in the UK.

02/05/23

London Play Press Releases

Ghostly future looms for London playgrounds

London Play’s biggest survey of councils in the capital for a decade finds that while many are building new playgrounds, funding for their preservation and maintenance is simply not keeping up.

28/04/23

Play news

Scottish law moves forward on play

New Scottish planning rules mark a significant step towards incorporating children's right to play into law and practice - leaving England lagging behind

17/04/23

Play news

Threats and police visits for playing outside

Londoners who let their children play out are receiving warning letters from councils, threats from neighbours and visits from the police according to responses to a Guardian survey.

17/04/23

Play news

Families desert inner London boroughs

A Guardian report highlights that families are being pushed out of central London, hollowing out the inner city and leaving both inner and outer boroughs struggling to adapt to huge changes in their demographics.

28/02/23

London Play Press Releases

South London playgrounds are saddest in the capital

Two south London playgrounds have been jointly named ‘London’s Saddest Playground’ in a public vote. Bromley’s Crystal Palace Park and Leyton Square in Southwark were deemed the playgrounds ‘most in need of love’ on Valentine’s Day, earlier this month.

13/02/23

London Play Press Releases

Vote for London's Saddest Playground

VOTE for London's Saddest Playground! Which playground do you think is most in need of love this year?

30/01/23

London Play in the news

Lewisham approves five-year play strategy

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.

26/01/23

Play news

Outdoor play reduces negative impacts of screen time

A Japanese study has found that outdoor play can mitigate some of the negative impacts of excessive screen time in young children.

17/01/23

Play news

Homeless, with nowhere to play

16/01/23

London Play Press Releases

Seeking London's saddest playground!

Is your local play area in need of some luuurve? London Play is on the hunt for London’s saddest playground – so we can help you turn it around in 2023.

05/01/23

Play news

London kids less active post-pandemic

A report from London Sport reveals that fewer than half of young Londoners are doing enough physical activity - and suggests that the prohibitive cost of after school activities and sports clubs is likely to exacerbate this in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

28/10/22

London Play Press Releases

Islington top for adventure play second year running

28/10/22: Islington’s Waterside Adventure Playground was named London’s Adventure Playground of the Year 2022 and Lewisham’s Ashwater Road took the gong for Play Street of the Year at a noisy celebration in London’s West End yesterday. Adventure playgrounds in Richmond, Lambeth, Haringey and Hackney also won awards.

09/08/22

Play news

Children not seen OR heard as street play declines

Fewer children are playing out on their streets than ever before, new research reveals, as a leading child psychologist warns of the negative impact this could have on child mental health.

30/07/22

Play news

Major commission recommends social prescribing for child mental health

The Commission on Young Lives has recommended the roll out of a major programme of social prescribing for mental health wellbeing, enabling GPs and health professionals to pay for youth activities such as sport, art music and drama.

27/07/22

London Play in the news

Families urged to make play memories this summer

UK: National charity Family Action has teamed up with Fisher Price Play lab to support families to play together over the summer.

26/07/22

Play news

Heatwave playgrounds become no-go areas

26/07/22: As the country sweltered in record heats last week, some playgrounds became no-go areas with metal slides reaching temperatures of over 71 degrees.

18/07/22

Play news

Calls for a National Play Strategy to support 'Generation Covid'

The Children's Alliance is calling for a National UK Strategy for Play to support the emotional recovery and resilience of children affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

30/06/22

Play news

Hackney kids fight for right to play

Children from a Hackney primary school have staged an after school protest in their fight for the right to play in a local park during break times.

28/06/22

London Play Press Releases

Kids celebrate PLAY-tinum Jubilee on horseback

Riders on (inflatable) horseback brought some regal silliness to Rigdale Road's Jubilee street party in June.

20/06/22

Play news

Quality early years play linked with improved future mental health

Children who play together well at age three consistently show fewer signs of mental health difficulties at age seven, regardless of potential confounding factors such as poverty levels and maternal distress.

14/06/22

Play news

Call for funds to make playgrounds inclusive

The charity Scope is calling on the government to set up a £37m fund to make sure all children, regardless of ability, can use playgrounds.

06/06/22

Play news

Children of the 2020s cohort study launched

Families across England are set to make history as they join the first new national birth cohort study of babies to be launched in more than two decades,

31/05/22

Play news

Adventurous play = better mental health

Children who spend more time engaged in adventurous play involving an element of risk have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to research that found the effect was more pronounced among children from lower income families.

25/04/22

London Play Press Releases

Hallmark Play Garden to delight and unite

Children will be begging their parents to visit older relatives this autumn thanks to a pioneering partnership between Hallmark Care Homes Foundation and London Play.

29/11/21

Play news

Child development hit by lack of play

A new report from the Early Intervention Foundation argues that the Covid-19 pandemic has “negatively impacted” children’s physical development.

28/11/21

Play news

Don't infill our play spaces say protestors

Southwark residents marched on council offices to protest against proposed infill developments that they say will rob existing residents of space for play as well as natural light and recreation opportunities.

22/11/21

Play news

Tower Hamlets invests in play

Tower Hamlets' Mayor John Biggs has spoken out about how vital play is for children as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, as a new playground at Millwall Park opens.

18/11/21

Play news

Childhood obesity rises during year of lockdowns

One in four 10-11 year olds is now classified as obese, following a year in which children spent weeks in lockdown and representing an unprecedented single year increase in childhood obesity levels.

10/11/21

London Play Press Releases

Family trust supports play-led recovery for London’s children

The Garfield Weston Foundation has thrown its support behind a play-led recovery for children in London over the coming year, with a generous £20,000 grant to London Play.

28/10/21

London Play Press Releases

Islington dragon's lair is London's best place to play

Islington’s Barnard Adventure Playground has been named London’s Adventure Playground of the Year today as the hotly anticipated annual event returned to the West End with a squeal and a roar (and a few rude squelchy sounds too)!

30/09/21

Play news

Child mental health referrals soar

Record numbers of children and young people are being referred to mental health services for crisis and non-crisis care, as the toll of the pandemic on the country’s mental health is revealed in a new analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

16/08/21

London Play Press Releases

All brakes off for Formula Fun fortnight!

A fortnight of ‘Formula Fun’ go kart building excitement will kick off in The Regent’s Park this weekend, where the charity London Play is staging the first in a series of pop-up events for children across central London this summer.

16/07/21

London Play in the news

Play to lead London's great reawakening

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.

30/06/21

London Play Press Releases

Council u-turn on play street charges

London Play has supported a successful resident-led campaign to overturn a decision by Croydon Council to introduce charges for children playing in the street.

24/05/21

London Play Press Releases

Join the pledge! Summer of Play

London Play is one of many organisations behind a campaign to ensure that every child has the space, time, and freedom to play this summer as Covid-19 restrictions are eased. Can you sign the #SummerOfPlay pledge?

16/05/21

London Play in the news

Joy to return to 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.

22/04/21

Play news

Children today have two years less freedom than their parents

14/04/21

Play news

Children bear brunt of mental health crisis

The number of children seeking help for mental health problems increased by 28% during the pandemic, new figures have revealed.

10/04/21

Play news

Scotland leads with summer of play

The Scottish government has pledged £20m in funding to ensure that children have a Summer of Play to help address the impacts associated with extended periods of isolation and reduced participation in normal activities.

09/04/21

Play news

Hackney bus to play on

The team behind Hackney Playbus has raised more than £30,000 to build a new travelling play centre to provide free support to the borough’s children and families.

01/04/21

Play news

Play and the pandemic study launched

A national ‘observatory’ of children’s play experiences during Covid-19 is being led by academics at UCL and the University of Sheffield.

09/03/21

Play news

Parents support wellbeing catchup

Four out of five parents support education catch up policies to support their children's wellbeing according to the IFS.

08/03/21

Play news

Concerns over long term impact of play deficit

Parents are worried that the loss of freedom to play during the pandemic could have a long term impact on their children.

08/03/21

London Play Press Releases

Time for a play catchup

As children return to school today after an enforced absence of more than two months, the sacrifices that they have made during the coronavirus pandemic are high on the public radar.

16/02/21

London Play in the news

London Play calls for a 'summer of play'

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.

05/02/21

London Play Press Releases

Boris, please prioritise play this lockdown

Dear Boris, please prioritise children’s wellbeing during this third lockdown in England.

30/10/20

London Play Press Releases

Triple the adventure: award winners

Three London adventure playgrounds that went to extraordinary lengths to keep children playing – and in some cases, fed too – during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic were yesterday announced as joint winners of the coveted London Adventure Playground of the Year Award

12/09/20

London Play Press Releases

What does the new 'rule of six' mean for play streets?

From Monday 14 September, it will be illegal in England, unless at school or work, for someone to meet more than five other people at a time. What does this mean for play streets?

28/08/20

London Play Press Releases

Abby Aliens triumph, together a-kart

Inviting groups of children from across London to converge in a field, rub shoulders designing and building go karts from scratch, and then race them side by side was a BIG no-no this year. But London Play found a way to make the hotly-anticipated go kart events happen

13/07/20

London Play Press Releases

Havens of play for London's children

London Play has won nearly £100k in funding to support adventure playgrounds and ensure the capital’s most vulnerable children can enjoy a summer of play.

07/07/20

London Play Press Releases

Camp Build goes on tour!

With residential camps on hold for now, Camp Build has gone on tour to bring the unique building adventure to playgrounds across the capital.

07/07/20

London Play Press Releases

Support for return to play on the street

Most play street organisers are ready to consider reopening their streets for play - if councils give the green light, according to a survey by London Play.

30/06/20

London Play Press Releases

Time for a return to play on the street

London Play is calling on local authorities to restart play streets from July 4th.

29/06/20

London Play Press Releases

Parcels of joy for lockdown kids

Thousands of families visiting adventure playground foodbanks across the capital this week will be picking up parcels of joy along with their food staples thanks to the capital’s leading play charity.

19/06/20

London Play Press Releases

Closed playgrounds harming children

The harm caused to children by keeping adventure playgrounds closed is now beginning to outweigh the risks of opening them, says a leading expert in health and safety.

14/06/20

London Play in the news

All the youth we cannot see

Connecting children to public space outdoors had a watershed moment when Richard Louv published his now classic Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. A new handbook on designing public space for children shares examples of how marginalised children are being successfully connected with the outdoors; and includes a chapter from

09/06/20

London Play Press Releases

An open letter to the Education Secretary

The summer holidays are coming. The government must prioritise children’s needs and issue guidance for summer play providers now.

26/05/20

London Play Press Releases

It's time to put children first

Children are the invisible victims of the coronavirus pandemic. As lockdown eases, it is time to prioritise their right to play.

19/05/20

London Play Press Releases

It's adventure play - but not as we know it

Two thirds of London's adventure playground organisations report that they are now delivering new services, with many becoming vital hubs for food distribution.

07/04/20

London Play in the news

Adventure playgrounds rise to the challenge

Adventure playgrounds may have closed their gates, but they have not closed the door on their ‘playing customers’, London’s children.

04/10/19

London Play in the news

ELHAP 'well 'appy' with top award

The most happening adventure playground in London is ELHAP in Redbridge, it was announced today

04/10/19

London Play Press Releases

400,000 sqm of instant play space

More than four square kilometres of temporary play space was created in an instant last month as Londoners came out to play on their car free streets.

09/09/19

London Play in the news

£100K play streets project for Newham

Residents are being encouraged to set up traffic-free ‘play streets’ outside their homes. The £100,000 a year project will allow people to close streets from traffic for up to four hours during daylight, allowing children to play in the public space close to their homes.

04/09/19

London Play Press Releases

Risk 'essential' in school grounds

School grounds should be 'as safe as necessary', not 'as safe as possible' asserts a new declaration from the international School Grounds Alliance.

08/07/19

London Play Press Releases

Big Kid to take on Dexter playground

LAMBETH: BIG KID Foundation is poised to sign a 10-year lease on Dexter Adventure Playground in Brixton.

03/07/19

London Play Press Releases

Summer holidays: debt and misery

Parents told a parliamentary hearing on holiday hunger about struggling families where parents have to stop working during the school holidays or pay crippling additional childcare costs up front.

20/06/19

Play news

Islington square wins play award

ISLINGTON: A revamp of a once-neglected Georgian garden square in Barnsbury, Islington, by LDA Design, has won the Children’s Play category in the annual Street Design Awards.

14/06/19

Play news

Withdrawing play must stop

Withdrawing play time from school children as punishment is an infringement of children's human rights and is a practice which should be stopped, says the British Psychological Society.

15/05/19

Play news

Lambeth transforms play commissioning

LAMBETH: Lambeth Council has laid out proposals to transform the commissioning of youth and play support services in the borough, including winding down the Young Lambeth Cooperative.

02/04/19

London Play in the news

London 'two tier play' exposed

LONDON: As many as half a dozen housing developments across London – most of them relatively new – separate play areas for richer and poorer children

02/04/19

Play news

School's out for play street!

TOWER HAMLETS: Play time has extended onto the street for two schools in Tower Hamlets

25/03/19

Play news

Fun factor key to getting children active

Enjoyment is the single biggest factor in motivating children to be active according to new research.

26/02/19

Play news

London kids hurt most by cuts

LONDON: The five councils that have made the biggest cuts to children's services since 2010 are in London according to a new analysis

22/02/19

London Play Press Releases

£13m for parks

£13m in funding for parks is welcome but does not go far enough to offset years of decline.

07/02/19

Play news

Mayor backs adventure play

LONDON: Leading insurer Zurich has promised to review its decision to withdraw insurance cover from two of the capital's adventure playgrounds.

06/02/19

Play news

Crisis in childhood is all around us

The Children’s Play Policy Forum has issued a policy statement identifying a crisis in childhood and calling for more children’s play opportunities.

06/02/19

London Play Press Releases

West Ham gets play investment

NEWHAM: Almost £1.2m is to be spent on upgrading West Ham Park playground and installing a new water play area.

02/02/19

London Play Press Releases

Green fund to cut playground pollution

LONDON: Around £400,000 has been awarded to 29 London primary schools to fund new green barriers to protect children from toxic air in school playgrounds.

15/01/19

Play news

Research ramps up screens vs play debate

A research report claims to show for the first time, a strong link between recreational screen time and children’s inactivity.

10/08/18

London Play Press Releases

London kids show go kart grit

Continuous rain failed to put a damper on yesterday’s All London Go Kart Build and Race as children from across London proved that they are anything but a ‘cotton wool generation’.

06/06/18

Play news

Green space link to child mental health

A study has unearthed a link between the quality and quantity of green space and the mental health of children.

27/02/18

Play news

Killjoy councillors to ban tree climbing

London borough of Wandsworth plans fines of up to £500 for climbing trees, flying kites or playing cricket in parks

04/09/17

London Play Press Releases

New fund could support play

Research out today provides conclusive evidence of the health benefits of street play.

30/08/17

London Play Press Releases

Millions of children worried about crime

LEWISHAM: Lewisham's five adventure playgrounds are now run by Youth First, a social enterprise and staff-led mutual which officially launched last month.

08/08/17

London Play in the news

Go kart charity warns of cuts to play

Children from deprived areas like east London could be “paying the price” of public spending cuts and lose opportunities to improve their lives.

02/08/17

London Play Press Releases

New adventure play model in Lewisham

LEWISHAM: Lewisham's five adventure playgrounds are now run by Youth First, a social enterprise and staff-led mutual which officially launched last month.

31/07/17

London Play Press Releases

Play streets a 'no brainer' for health

Research out today provides conclusive evidence of the health benefits of street play.

17/07/17

Play news

'Not being very good' stops kids being active

The number of children managing the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day drops by 40% as they move through primary school.

Here’s the lowdown on what’s happening right now with play in London… along with news from beyond the M25 that might affect how, where and how often children play within its confines. For news direct to your inbox, sign up at the bottom of the page for our (quarterly-ISH) London Playwire.

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