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Children with special needs will be given the confidence to join in and enjoy mainstream play through some of the £3 million in BIG Lottery Fund play innovation funding that is being put into action in England today.

A total of 16 projects benefiting children of all abilities are sharing today’s funding from the Fund’s Playful Ideas programme which is also bringing together children, artists and playworkers in exploring and developing  creative play.

Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund’s England Committee, said: “All of these projects are using innovative approaches to encourage children from a variety of backgrounds to participate in playful activities. The essential benefits that play brings as part of a child’s well-being and development are becoming more and more common knowledge. All children should have the opportunity to play and just as importantly, to have fun.”

There will be help for some of the country’s more vulnerable children through the Merseyside Youth Association Limited - Unite Project which will provide a series of playgroups for youngsters aged seven to 11 and 11 to 16, in which children with disabilities and special needs will take a more active part in leading and creating new ways of playing.  

Split into three stages, the play sessions will run therapy sessions for disabled and special needs children to give them the confidence to join in mainstream play, and help them cope in a more integrated setting. The main element of the project will focus on free play activities that are directed by the children using physical play, portable play equipment, and team games in which all children can take an active part.  Last but not least, youngsters will be able to look forward to a fun packed stay at an away residential play centre.

Damian Hart, Principle Development Manager said: “Merseyside Youth Association is very grateful for the support of the Big Lottery Fund to enable us to bring this innovative idea   around play for children with a disability to become more included as this will strengthen all children involved with this project, and in that way it responds to their needs and will ensure that serviceable outcomes, along with the every child matters outcomes are realised and enjoyed.

Also among the projects celebrating is the Dukes Meadows Play Space project in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow, which has received half a million pounds to create a play area for children aged 7-15. The project designed by landscape designers with the help of local children will include a ‘flying fox’ cable ride, slides and bridges, and an exciting adventure landscape with trees to climb, hiding places and dens.  

Kathleen Healy for Dukes Meadows Trust said:’’ Everyone involved in planning the project is delighted that we have been awarded the grant. Dukes Meadows Trust is a community based organisation and the brief for the new play area was created from children from the local Cavendish Primary School, and young people and carers from the Croft Centre for disabled children in Kew.

The play area will incorporate natural features such as mounds and hollows and will be landscaped with trees and shrubs. Play equipment will be used in this natural landscape to create an innovative stimulating play space in which children can invent their own games.”

The Creative Play Journeys project led by Torbay Play Forum will bring together artists, musicians and playworkers to lead children and young people in re-designing their own play spaces and help them bring their ideas to life. Funded by the award of £249,995 the project will work across Brixham, Torquay and Paignton, providing new opportunities for children and young people between four to 18 years old. It will particularly benefit those who currently have little access to play projects, for example children from low-income families or who have disabilities.   

Tanny Stobart, Chair, Torbay Play Forum, said: “The funding is a wonderful opportunity to bring together children, young people, artists and playworkers to explore the ideas between creativity and play. In this project children and playworkers will be supported and encouraged by artists to take an active role in designing and developing their own play space as part of a creative play journey. We are thrilled!”

Details of the awards appear in the table below.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund will support children’s play with £155 million through:
• the £124 million Children’s Play programme, with funds available to every local authority area in England;
• a separate £16 million Playful Ideas programme focussing on innovation; and
• a £15 million grant to the Children’s Play Council, part of the National Children’s Bureau, to fund England-wide development and support.
• Under the Children’s Play programme, in deciding how best to allocate the available funds to each authority the Big Lottery Fund have allocated: 50 per cent of the funding on the basis of child population, and 50 per cent of the regional population living in the most deprived 20% of Super Output Areas included in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004. The minimum amount allocated to any local authority is £200,000.
• Under Playful Ideas registered charities; voluntary or community groups; charitable or not-for-profit companies; social enterprises; and town and parish councils can apply. However, other organisations, such as schools, can work in partnership on Playful Ideas projects.
• The Big Lottery Fund awarded a grant to the Children’s Play Council a strategic alliance of organisations working to promote the importance of play and to stimulate better play opportunities. Play England - a project of the Children’s Play Council - lead on this work by helping agencies to develop play strategies and apply for Children's Play funding. For further information please visit www.ncb.org.uk
• The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.