August 2019
Lands cape & Am e ni t y
Putting the spotlight on the vibrant industry
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Time to put children and young people first with ministerial appointment The Association of Play Industries (API) attended a dinner at the House of Lords to launch a campaign for the appointment of a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People. Life Peer Baroness D’Souza is spearheading the campaign and brought together the working group of leading organisations in the field to brainstorm next steps. Standing in for API Chair Mark Hardy, Mary Lubrano of the FSPA, pointred out that currently there is no one Minister responsible for the health and wellbeing of children and their needs are being neglected. “Today’s children and young people are facing an unprecedented set of circumstances meaning that for many their mental and physical health is at crisis point,” she explained.The dominance of digital culture and rising levels of inactivity and obesity mean that this current generation could be the most unhealthy and unhappy to date.
“Central to the campaign is the recognition that joined-up action is urgently required; currently government departments work largely in isolation. “A Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People would put children at the heart of politics and introduce policies across departments which would directly benefit them. “The event was an opportunity to update the group on the API’s Nowhere to Play and Movement for Movement campaigns: the dominance of digital culture has created a strong inducement to stay indoors and, at the same time, there is a dramatic and sustained reduction in public outdoor play provision. “For the overwhelming majority of UK children and young people living in urban areas, this is a dangerous cocktail; children are being ‘pulled’ indoors by screens and ‘pushed’ away from outdoor play because of the decline in accessible public playgrounds.
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“In one of the most densely populated, urbanised countries in Europe, with ever-shrinking opportunities for children to play outdoors, public playgrounds play a crucial role in improving children’s movement levels and, in turn, their physical and mental health. Playgrounds uniquely provide a safe, traffic-free environment in and around our towns and
cities and for many children they represent their only chance for outdoor play. “The API wants to see playgrounds prioritised before they disappear for good. As a resource to foster the health of children and young people – through movement and outdoor play – the role of public playgrounds should not be under-estimated.
For a relatively modest government investment now the health and wellbeing of children would benefi t greatly for years to come. A dedicated Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People would be ideally placed to effect policies to ensure that playgrounds are protected.”
Playrite
Association of Play
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Parents have ‘no time’ to take kids to the park To mark the launch of #LoveParks Week, Keep Britain Tidy called on parents across the UK to make time to visit their local green space with their child, as research shows a whopping 75% of children would like to spend more time outdoors.
As a result, classic outdoor skills children often learn in the park could be on the decline, with the research indicating that over a third (34%) of children have never learnt to ride a bike, and almost half (49%) have never climbed a tree.
The research reveals that children in Britain visit outdoor spaces an average of three times a week, with four out of five parents (80%) admitting they would like their child to spend more time outside. When it comes to barriers to children spending time outdoors, the top reason given by parents was that they don’t have time to take their children to the park.
Love Parks Week in midJuly celebrated and highlights not just major UK parks, but unexpected areas of greenery, ensuring outdoor space is accessible for all. Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “Parks and green spaces are an essential part of childhood.
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING GLOBAL PROVIDERS OF OUTDOOR PLAY & SPORTS EQUIPMENT.
New 10-minute Shake Ups to make activity fun Millions of schoolchildren will be inspired to get physically active this summer thanks to the latest phase of the groundbreaking partnership between Change4Life and Disney.
It’s great to see that, despite recent concerns about digital distractions, only 19% of children prefer playing on devices to exploring the great outdoors.” Green Flag Awards
New 10 Minute Shake Ups, featuring a host of popular Disney characters from the hit films Frozen, The Lion King and Toy Story 4 have been distributed to primary schools to help teachers embed activity into their daily school routine at times when pupils are usually sedentary, including assembly and between lessons.
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Packs will also be given to children to take home so they can continue to keep active over the summer. Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s chief executive, hailed the campaign’s return as a vital tool in helping children build a positive attitude to physical activity. “Our recent research gives us the richest evidence yet that sport and physical activity needs to be fun and enjoyable above all because enjoyment is the biggest motivator for children in getting active,” he said.
RoSPA First leisure award presented
Sport England
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