Leicester's Town Hall Square will be transformed into an oasis of outdoor fun and games when Play-day, the national day for play, arrives in the city on Wednesday, 3rd August 2011.
The free event, which runs from 10am until 3pm, has been organised by Leicester City Council and will feature a range of hands-on activities along with ideas and information about lots more ways to get children outdoors and playing.
Highlights at the Town Hall Square play day include fishing in the fountain, den making, orienteering, scrapstore activities and a range of other creative, sporty and outdoor fun and games that families can easily continue at home.
Cllr Vi Dempster, Assistant City Mayor responsible for children, young people and schools, said: "Play is such a vital part of childhood. It's essential for children's happiness, health, and wellbeing and has a key role in helping them develop important life and social skills.
"That's why we pledged to hold this event as part of our support for National Play Day. It's going to be a day packed full of fun ideas that we hope will inspire more families to make time for the simple pleasures of play every day."
Leicester's event is one of hundreds being held across the country as part of a national campaign by Play England, and supported by Savlon. The campaign which aims to help families overcome barriers to play and help ensure that the sorts of outdoor play which parents grew up with don't disappear.
The following research findings have been released by Play England to support the Play Day campaign:
• 42 per cent of children report they have never made a daisy chain
• 32 per cent have never climbed a tree
• A quarter of children today have never had the simple pleasure of rolling down a hill
• 47 per cent of adults built dens every week as a child, yet 29 per cent of today’s children say they have never built a den at all
• A third of children have never played hopscotch
• One in ten children have never ridden a bike
To find out more visit www.playday.org.uk
Contact Us
For more information please call 0116 222 2605 / 2603
Leicester at Play: the BIG Lottery projects
Leicester City Council successfully applied for Big Lottery funding in 2007 securing £882,000 to spend on improving opportunities for Play in Leicester.
The BIG Lottery funding has been broken down into 5 different projects which are:
Contact us:
For further details on any of the Big Lottery projects contact:
The Play Coordinator on 0116 222 2603, or email: playrangers@leicester.gov.uk
Further Information:
