Funding is Child's Play
It’s playtime in Liverpool as £1m is being spent creating new play areas across the city.
The money will see two brand new play areas developed in the north of the city, Newsham Park and Rice Lane, and 20 existing ones will be modernised and upgraded.
The Government’s ‘Playbuilder Funding’ is set to be approved by the city council’s Executive Board on Friday (24 April).
Children will be asked where they would like the two new sites to be and what equipment they would love to see in them and they’ll be given the opportunity to give their views on the design and layout. Schools, residents, local businesses and ward councillors will also be consulted.
The improvement programme, which is aimed at 8-13 year olds, will run over a two year period.
Liverpool city council’s executive member for the environment, Councillor Berni Turner, said: “This funding is fantastic news and will make a real difference, not only to the standard of play areas across the city, but also to the lives of young people who will be able to make the most of the top-of-the-range facilities.
“We want to do as much as we can to encourage youngsters to turn off their televisions and get out into their local playground. We know that it will benefit them physically and give them the opportunity to interact with other children and develop their social skills.
“It makes sense that all this work should be begin in the city’s Year of the Environment, as this funding can only lead to the transformation of many of our green areas into innovative and adventurous play spaces where families will want to spend time and relax.”
The play areas which will be improved are:
Princes Park, Warbreck Moor, Croxteth Park, Walton Hall Park, Sefton Park, Calderstones Park, Doric Park, Muirhead Avenue, Wavertree Botanic Park, Crown Street, Parkhill Public Open Space, Long Lane Recreation Ground, Banks Road, Northway, Dovecot Park, The Venny (Speke), Longmoor Lane, St Martins Recreation Ground, Upper Hill Street and Picton Playground.
The funding is part of the government’s national play strategy ‘Fair Play’ which was launched April 2008 and focuses on developing outdoor active spaces to tackle child obesity.
The main objectives of the programme are:
To develop and improve 22 stimulating play areas across the city, targeted at 8-13 year olds
To introduce accessible and inclusive equipment to help address access and equality issues relating to fair play
To help tackle health and social issues in some of the most deprived areas of Liverpool
To develop stronger links with the community in relation to play, by making sure full consultation takes place
