Every parent wants their child to have a happy, healthy childhood but providing play opportunities for children can be hard work for families struggling with the rising cost of food, transport and household bills for example.

According to The Campaign to End Child Poverty, more than one in three children in Nottingham are growing up in poverty.

To help, we’re offering to help parents who want to set up their own community play projects.

Playworks has been supporting children’s play in Nottingham for over 30 years and we’ve already helped to set up play projects in communities around the city.

One of these projects is Kidz United, an after-school club in the Meadows that provides play activities and support for local children, particularly children from asylum-seeking families in Nottingham.

Helen Coppins from Kidz United says: 

“Kidz United has been running since 2010, after local parents decided to set up a project offering play and support to children in the Meadows. Playworks has been involved from the start and has helped us to make our ideas a reality. 

For instance, Playworks has provided free training for our volunteers and low-cost craft materials as well as an abundance of ideas. They’ve also helped us to research funding options and to complete funding application forms. 

Today, Kidz United runs between two and three sessions a week, providing play and support to around 80-100 children, with a workforce of over 20 volunteers. Playworks continues to support our project and has been an invaluable resource to us.”

Playworks can help new projects to start up or provide support to develop existing ones. 

For example, we provide free training for play project staff and volunteers so that they can learn practical and useful skills around play including arts and crafts, therapeutic play, first aid, group development and safeguarding children.

We can also provide projects with trained, CRB-checked volunteers.

As you probably know, we run a Scrapstore too offering affordable recycled arts and crafts materials and an Art Shop. Play projects like Kidz United can buy a basketful of recycled arts and crafts materials for just £1, enabling them to run creative activities for children without having to worry about the cost.

If you’re interested in starting a community play project for children, young people or families – or you already run one and would like more support, please contact:

Laura Summers at Playworks on 0115 958 9199 or email laura.summers@playworks.org.uk 

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