Parents Call for Better Play Areas

Parents from North Glasgow will,  on Thursday 6th July 2006,  highlight the need for better play environments for Scottish children. Donna Stewart, Gillian Spence and Marie Forsyth, who are supported by CHIP (Children’s Inclusion Partnership), will call for more safe, secure play environments for Scottish children at an international conference called ‘Planning and designing healthy public outdoor spaces for young people in the 21st century’.  They will be supported by Kirstin Henry, parent development worker from CHIP, who has been working alongside them. 

The parents have joined forces with Barnardo’s Scotland and Play Scotland to campaign for better play.  Earlier this year, supported by Barnardo’s, they presented a petition to the Scottish Parliament calling for a play strategy for Scotland.  The aim of a strategy is to ensure that every child in the country has access to a safe, secure play environment.  

Donna, from Provanmill in North Glasgow and Gillian and Marie, who are both from Possilpark, will do a presentation based on a paper they have submitted called ‘A Dear Green Place?  Stories from families trying to create clean, safe and green play environments in North Glasgow’.  Their presentation will give accounts of parents’ stories about the lack of decent play space and litter problems in North Glasgow, highlight the growing need for safe, accessible outdoor play areas for children and talk about the importance of working closely with decision makers to create more outdoor areas for young people in North Glasgow and Scotland.

The paper is based on the work of a parents network group called ‘To Play or Not to Play’ which has been campaigning for more play areas over the past three years.  In 2005, the ‘To Play or Not to Play’ group, which is a group of parents from North Glasgow who are supported by CHIP, hosted a special conference to give parents and decision makers the opportunity to work together to solve problems and look at ways of creating more play facilities.

CHIP, which is a partnership between Barnardo’s and Stepping Stones for Families, helps families and children in Possilpark and other parts of North Glasgow to identify issues arising from living in communities affected by poverty and supports them to make them better places to live in.

Angus Wood, from CHIP, said: “Every child has the right to play freely in a safe, clean, green environment. Free play is vital to children’s health and wellbeing. However, the opportunity to run on grass, have adventures, build dens and splash in burns is sadly denied for many children.  In places like North Glasgow, real change for the better can only be achieved if the planners, decision-makers and agencies can learn how to listen to children and families, take their priorities seriously and respect them as genuine partners.  CHIP is pleased to be supporting the parents in their initiative to highlight the need for better play areas by working alongside decision makers.”

Gillian Spence, a member of the ‘To Play or Not to Play’ parents’ network, said: “I would love my children to play the same as I did.  Grass cut short and kept clean to play on and not worry what was under the grass.  Sand pits with no needles or dogs’ muck.  We should have these things. Other places have them.”

Marie Forsyth, another network member, said: “Children need something to stimulate them.  Something that is clean. Grass for football. Open space for them to enjoy themselves.  No need to worry what they will bring in on their shoes. They need to learn about hurting themselves.  That’s how I learned not to roller skate down a wall!  How bad does it have to get before someone listens?”

Donna Stewart, also a network member, said: “Remember when you were a wee girl and you could jump about and do cartwheels and back-flips, play football or skipping ropes and you knew it was clean? Your mum didn’t need to worry that you were going to do a cartwheel and get something stuck in your hand. Having that space meant that we could be children and exercise and use up all our energy: not be stuck in the house in my mum’s face like my children are.”