Nearly £800,000 given to invest in West Ealing play facilities
The West Ealing Play Service has been given a significant slice of a £3 million cash pot for children's play projects across the capital.The cash forms a slice of the Big Lottery Fund's initiative, which funds projects that create, improve and design innovative children's play facilities.
West London Ealing Play Service will collect £790,198 in play dough, which will be used to mould new and exciting play facilities. Ealing has one of the most concentrated youth populations in London, along with high areas of social disadvantage. The grant will make a significant impact on the quality of life of children in the Borough and increase the fun factor in play.
Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund Head of London Region, welcomed the new funding news: "Good play is an essential engine for improving children's quality of life and wellbeing - we want our funding to be the spark that lights the fuse for more good play opportunities. It's through play that children unravel the world around them; it allows them to explore new possibilities. These projects will, I hope, play a big role in the social development and intellectual growth of the next generation of young Londoner's."
Through a portfolio of 12 projects at 21 locations, Ealing will provide new play areas, refurbish existing play space and create new supervised play facilities. The projects will create opportunities for children to explore their world, aid their social and educational self-development and encourage integration into the society around them.
Jeff Parkinson, Ealing Children's Services Manager, said: "The new play services created by this grant from the Big Lottery Fund, will increase the opportunities for children to exercise choice in their lives and offer them the freedom to explore their world. This will support their health, social development and integration into wider society".
The Big Lottery Fund awarded a grant to the Children's Play Council a strategic alliance of organisations working to promote the importance of play and to stimulate better play opportunities. Play England - a project of the Children's Play Council - lead on this work by helping agencies to develop play strategies and apply for Children's Play funding.
February 21, 2007
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