What's in your street?

13 June 2007

Playday, the annual celebration of children’s right to play, takes place on Wednesday 1 August 2007. This year’s theme – Our streets too! highlights that the streets belong to everyone in their neighbourhood and that play-friendly streets offer huge benefits to the whole community.

 

Hundreds of fantastic events will be taking place across the UK. To mark this year’s theme, local communities are organising street parties to celebrate children’s play. Previous years’ Playday events have included thousands of children splashing about in the fountains in Trafalgar Square to master classes in den building and mud pies.

 

This year, Playday is asking children across the UK what’s in your street? Send in your photos, collages or drawings of what it’s like to play in your neighbourhood or show what your ideal street for play would look like. The images will be used to build a picture of how play-friendly, streets are across the UK and will give a vision for the future. Everyone who sends in a picture has a chance to see their work published and will also be entered into a prize draw to win a digital camera!

 

The Playday website has also been brought to life with a new playful character, more features, interactive bits and lots of information and advice for those wanting to get involved in this year’s action filled campaign.

 

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Notes for editors:

1.For more information about Playday and the Our streets too! campaign, visit http://www.playday.org.uk/

2.Playday is coordinated by Play England, based at the National Children’s Bureau, working in partnership with PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play Scotland and Play Wales. Now in its 20th year, the national campaign involves thousands of children and young people getting out to play at locally organised events. Playday events range from small-scale neighbourhood get-togethers to large-scale public events organised by local authorities and national organisations.

3.Play England promotes excellent free play opportunities for all children and young people. Play England provides advice and support to promote good practice, and works to ensure that the importance of play is recognised by policy makers, planners and the public. Play England is a project of the Children’s Play Council, part of the National Children’s Bureau, and is supported by the Big Lottery Fund. For further information visit http://www.playengland.org.uk/

4.The National Children’s Bureau promotes the voices, interests and well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives.  As an umbrella body for the children’s sector in England and Northern Ireland, we provide essential information on policy, research and best practice for our members and other partners. For further information visit http://www.ncb.org.uk/

 

For more information on this release, please contact Clare Quarrell, Anna Tombs or Clare Lilley in NCB’s media office on 020 7843 6044/6045/6047 or email media@ncb.org.uk