£200k for Places to Play

"Do not play on the grass." "No ball games." A look at the signs around North Norfolk's parks and open spaces could leave you thinking that having fun there was forbidden.

Now, thanks to a £200,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, North Norfolk District Council is putting the 'play' back into the District's play areas.

NNDC has adopted a new approach to play facilities, which will see a host of new activities designed with play, rather than over-protectiveness, in mind.

The grant, from the Big Lottery Fund's Children's Play Programme, will fund projects described in the Council's play strategy, published in January. NNDC submitted a bid under the umbrella title of "North Norfolk - Increasing access to fun places to play", and the two main planks of the bid are projects called:

• "Open spaces becoming adventurous, exciting, fun places" - replacing aged play equipment or installing new, tailor-made facilities in five areas that have been chosen because they have a high density of children but are a long way from good play amenities. These areas are Bacton, Briston, Baconsthorpe, Neatishead and Little Snoring, and the new play areas should be in use by the end of 2008.
  This part of the strategy is aimed primarily at children aged seven to 11.
• "Drop in, hang out, have fun" - for children and young people aged 11 and upwards. Most of the recreational activities for this age group are offered in the coastal and market towns. This project will take free 'drop-in' leisure activities for 11 to16-years olds, like games, crafts, and informal sports, once a week to each of four rural communities: Aldborough, Bacton, Potter Heigham and Walsingham. These activities will be led by two part-time co-ordinators (yet to be appointed), giving children and young people a safe environment to have fun and socialise, and may be held outdoors in the summer months. This project should be running by 2009.
  The Council will quickly start working to find ways to make the 'mobile' play project sustainable beyond the life of its funding, for example by enlisting voluntary and community organisations who can host the sessions.
  

NNDC consulted communities - including children and young people themselves - last year to find out what people wanted, and to help decide what the 'play strategy' should be.

The consultation showed:

• most leisure activities, located as they are in coastal and market towns, are aimed at the tourist trade;
• many of the activities are provided by private businesses, such as bowling, swimming, indoor soft play areas for young children, and crazy golf, and so are paid for, and might have reduced hours out of the summer season;
• transport to and from facilities is a key factor for people in deciding whether to use them;
• the quality of some play areas was very poor, and often there were accessibility difficulties for children with disabilities, or the facilities catered only for younger children;
• some rural communities had no play facilities, or just a grassed area;
• many young people get together in the evenings with friends in town centres, regardless of the weather or time of year, but there are no free facilities and little for them to do;
• young people do want things to do, and new activities to try out with their friends, preferably in the evening and ideally on a Friday or Saturday night;
• there are large areas of open space in North Norfolk, but these are often privately-owned and do not necessarily encourage play;
• children want to explore and take risks.

This feedback helped NNDC ensure it knew what children wanted, and what they would use, when it bid for Big Lottery Fund money. And the children and families who will be using the new facilities will be consulted again to help with their design.

Councillor Hilary Nelson, Cabinet Member for Young People, said: "We identified the areas in greatest need, but we also hope to work with other communities to help improve their play facilities in future. We will also work with other areas to see how they can get spin-off benefits from these initial projects."

NNDC's £200,000 award came through the Big Lottery Fund's Children's Play Programme, a £124 million initiative for projects led by local councils. NNDC was successful (at its first attempt) in the third of four funding rounds, the last of which comes in September this year. The Programme aims to give every local authority area grants to develop free local play provision.