PLAYDAY 2010: Our place CAMPAIGN
Playday is an important occasion to highlight the
importance of play in children’s lives and campaign on issues
affecting children’s play. The Playday 2010 campaign was Our
place.
Our place
The Playday 2010 Our Place campaign aimed to
put children’s play back where it belongs and asked everyone -
young and old - to help create better places for children to live
and play.
Where have all the children gone?
Think about where you live. When was the last
time you saw children chalking hopscotch on the street, playing
kick-about on a nearby green space or balancing along a wall on
their way to the local shop?
Sadly, such scenes are becoming memories of a
bygone age. Today’s children don’t have the freedom and space to
play enjoyed by their parents and grandparents before them.
The Our place campaign asked for
children’s needs to be prioritised in all community spaces to
support children to develop their own independence and freedom to
play outdoors where they live. The campaign highlighted the
benefits of being part of a community that embraces children’s
play, and encouraged opportunities for communities to get to
know each other, across the generations.
Playday 2010 research
New figures released for Playday 2010 revealed that the
loss of community spirit in Britain is leading to children not
being allowed to play outside where they live.
An ICM survey commissioned by Play England, found that 79%
of adults believe community spirit has weakened since they were a
child. This is compounded by the fact that nearly half of men (44%)
and 28% of women would be wary to help a child in need of
assistance in their neighbourhood, in case they were suspected of
attempting to abduct the child.
The research also found that 47% of adults think it is unsafe
for children to play out without supervision, and that 1 in 3 (37%)
parents are concerned they will be judged by their neighbours if
they let their children play out unsupervised.
71% of children worry about being followed or taken by
strangers, but despite evident fears nearly three quarters of
children (73%) say they would like to play out more where they
live.
The research demonstrates a resounding call for
communities to pull together to create better places for
children to grow up, with a belief that improving
opportunities for children to play outside would improve
neighbourhoods in general. 81% of adults believe children playing
outside helps to improve community spirit and 70% think that
it makes an area more desirable to live in.
View Playday 2010 research reports here
Campaign
supporters
Nationally, Playday receives a massive amount of support
from national charities and professional bodies.
To find out who supported Playday 2010, visit our supporters page.
Playday 2010
events
Each year, people from across the UK celebrate Playday
by organising events to get local children, families and
communities out to play.
Over 850 locally organised events took place across the UK
to celebrate Playday 2010, making it the biggest Playday on
record!
Campaigning locally
The Playday Our Place
campaign was all about local communities. You could develop the
Our place campaign beyond your Playday 2010 event to
address a local issue in your community, such as the need to make a
public space more child-friendly or for a local play area to be
refurbished.
More information on developing a local
campaign and working in partnership with your community can be
found in the 2010 Get organised!
guide.
Don't forget to tell
us about your local campaign.
Playday 2011 theme
We're currently thinking about the
Playday 2011 campaign. Download the template below and
ask children and young people, adults, playworkers, everyone
at your event, for suggestions for the 2011 Playday
theme.
2011 theme suggestion
template