Lambeth Council utilise our Bespoke Services yet again!

Lambeth Borough look after 33 children's play areas and six paddling pools throughout the borough.

Lambeth Council have called upon our bespoke services once again, Streatham Hill is the latest playground that has received a much needed facelift, we fitted a range of wire rope nets which will provide the children and young people years of enjoyment.

We pride ourselves on being able to make anything from rope or net, if you provide us with a sketch, then we would be happy to turn your sketch into reality!  Contact us: info@southwestplay.co.uk for further information.

Play England calls for community action to help children missing out on outdoor play

More local support to help children play outside is being called for by Play England, part of leading children’s charity the National Children’s Bureau, as a growing body of research shows that children today do not have the same opportunities to play outside as their parents did, and are missing out on everyday childhood experiences.
The research shows that:

• Just 21% of children play outdoors every day near home, compared to 71% of their parents when they were a child; ¹
• 7 out of 10 parents feel that taking their children to an outside space to play is a real treat and children feel the same, with a reported 59 per cent wishing they could play outside in natural places more and; ²
• one third of today’s children say they have never built a den, 32 per cent say they have never climbed a tree and one in ten children have never ridden a bike.²

The Government has awarded £2 million through a Big Society Fund to the Play England Free Time Consortium, a group of 17 local and specialist organisations working together to increase children and young people’s opportunities for play and recreation. The money will enable the consortium to drive community involvement so that they can help make their neighbourhoods places where children can play outside more often.

Catherine Prisk, Director of Play England, said: ’Playing outside, chalking on the pavement, climbing trees and riding your bike are simple pleasures that many of today’s children are missing out on. Play is essential for children’s health and happiness now, and is also essential for making friends, building key skills for the future and for feeling you are part of a community. The Love Outdoor Play Campaign – backed up by real opportunities offered by local organisations across the country – will make it easy for everyone to get involved in making England a place where children once more have the freedom to play outside every day after school and in the holidays.’

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said: ’I think we all know the importance of play to children. Over the past ten years a culture of red tape has stifled the freedom of children to climb trees, make dens and enjoy the simple pleasure of outdoor play. That is why we have awarded £2 million to Play England so that they can get more people involved in creating invaluable opportunities for children to play outside – this is all part of our drive to create a bigger stronger society where people are empowered to make a difference to their community.’

The consortium brings together local voluntary sector groups from across England who will offer a range of volunteering opportunities that include street parties, holiday play schemes, helping out on adventure playgrounds, or becoming a trustee. It is expected to create over create over 20,000 new volunteering opportunities. There will also be one off opportunities to help build new play spaces – such as making rope swings or digging paddling pools – and for professionals to help their local play organisation with their website or their business plans. In addition there will be special programmes for young people to volunteer in their own communities, and further afield.

Volunteering has always been at the heart of play services across the country providing invaluable benefits for local communities, children and the volunteers themselves. At Shiremoor Adventure Playground in North Tyneside Justine, a parent who regularly takes her five-year-old to the playground, started volunteering 16 months ago. Inspired by the staff and the amazing work they do with the children and young people, she discovered a grant that could help them plug gaps in funds. Justine applied for the grant, and last October, the playground received £4,400 from the Big Lottery Fund to run weekly youth sessions. She now volunteers at the playground five days a week and last year started an NVQ level 2 in Playwork.

Justine said: ‘Volunteering has increased my confidence and given me perspective on what I want to do with my life. If someone had said to me a year ago I’d be doing this I’d have said no way - I’d never have thought I’d go back to college. Kids can always turn everything into a positive, they have me on a high all the time – I love it!
She continued: ‘Whatever your skills, whatever time you have to spare, there is a way that you can help your neighbourhood become a place where children have more freedom to play outside. ‘

The public is being asked to take the first step, by logging onto www.LoveOutdoorPlay.net to find out how they can get involved. Through the blog, email, Facebook and Twitter supporters will be kept up to date with opportunities across the country – and they are also invited to share how their support is helping more children have the freedom to play outside a bit more every day.

The Sustainability Show 2012 - Thanks to Love - Local

SUSTAINABILITY SHOW 2012, QUEEN CONFERENCE CENTRE, TAUNTON

17th June 2012

Over 100 likeminded people exhibited at this year's show with special guest Michael Eavis and patron Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall in attendance

The Sustainability Show is the first event in the West Country dedicated to exhibiting the many ways in which every individual, family and organisation can contribute to making our lives greener. Over 100 exhibitors will be on the playing fields behind Queen’s College. Don’t expect it to be all green and serious though. As well as dozens of foods stalls (organic naturally) there will be cider and ale bars plus live music. All this and much, much more at the Sustainability Show 2012

Love-Local displayed one our bestsellers our ECO Basket Swing, the feedback we've had back from LIz & Ali is that it's a firm favourite with children and adults alike, generating a lot of interest for people who want a eco friendly way to chill out in their gardens.  Thank you to Love Local for exhibiting on behalf of South West Play!

Notre Dame Play Area

Drew's been hard at work installing the bespoke nets, designed by Erect Architecture - he's worked through the adverse weather conditions and his hard effort has clearly paid off. We bet the children of Worsopp Drive cannot wait to get playing. It has been shown that natural play helps children to build a repertoire of responses to the things they encounter in their lives as children.  A new funding initiative was designed to create a number of new natural play areas, in some of the most economically deprived areas of the capital.

Exciting Projects...

We've got some really exciting projects in the pipeline... some refubishment work in the very fantastic indoor adventure play area 'Raze The Roof ' on our doorstep here in Cornwall and some animal enclosures to make all the way up in 'Alladale Nature Reserve' in the Highlands this will be the second project collaborating with Zoo-Lutions!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Drew is currently in London, our collaborations with leading architects Erect and Hortech has kept our rope technicians busy for several weeks and now it's Drew's turn...

His schedule this week alone will see him on site installing our wire reinforced rope and net components on several sites across London; Notre Dame Estate Play Area, moving onto Streatham Hill Play Area and finally finishing in The Princess Diana Memorial Adventure Play Park at Kensington Gardens, in keeping with the recent Royal theme, a joint project with Timberplay.

The architects designs which afford various types of play in and around the structures are looking amazing and we'll post photos as soon as possible - watch this space!

Whilst Drew is away the office and store remains extremely busy...we've started selling our product's on www.love-local.com where our products will be displayed at the forthcoming RHS Hampton Court Flower and Taunton Sustainability Show (more details to follow).



The Princess Diana Memorial Adventure Play Area, Kensington Gardens.  The Royal Parks, London

Finally, we wish to welcome our new sales consultant Tim, who has joined us to promote and sell products and services.  He will be liaising with customers past, present and future over the coming months and he will strive to meet and exceed your expectations.

Jubilastic June...