[WiLT] Big Lottery Children's Play - England - 10th September 2007

[WiL Admin]

Big Lottery Children's Play - England - 10th September 2007

Our £155 million Children's Play initiative is based on the
recommendations of the 2004 play review Getting Serious About Play,
which defines children's play as "what children and young people do
when they follow their own ideas, in their own way and for their own
reasons."

Our Children's Play initiative aims to:
* create, improve and develop children and young people's free local
play spaces and opportunities throughout England, according to need
* support innovation and new ways of providing for children's play
* create a support and development infrastructure to ensure local
agencies have the resources and skills to achieve the first two aims
* promote the long-term strategic and sustainable provision for play
as a free public service to children
* ensure that local authorities work with other local stakeholders to
develop children's play strategies and plans
* ensure that good, inclusive and accessible children's play services
and facilities are provided locally.

Play England Project

Children's happiness and healthy development is at the centre of a £15
million partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and the Children's
Play Council. In February 2006 we awarded our first grant under the
Children's Play initiative to the Children's Play Council (part of the
National Children's Bureau) for the Play England Project. This will be
a major five-year development to help local agencies in planning for
play across their area through the setting up of a national support
and development infrastructure across the regions. The Play England
Project is available to provide advice and support to both local
authorities and the voluntary and community sector call the advice
line on 020 7843 6300 or visit http://www.playengland.org.uk.

Children's Play programme

This £124 million programme is open for applications. Each local
authority area has been allocated an amount of money based on the
child population of the area and weighted by the level of deprivation.
Application packs have been sent to all local authorities asking them
to coordinate their area's application with their local play
partnerships.

Full details of both of these programmes is at
http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_childrens_play.htm?regioncode=-uk&progStatus=open&status=theProg&title=Children's%20Play

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=396