PROJECT
Stevenage Play Service
FUNDING
Around £500,000 annually from Stevenage Borough Council
BACKGROUND
Stevenage's play centres were initiated in the late 1960s by parents who had relocated from London and were keen to recreate the "adventure playgrounds" that sprang up at bombsites. The council provided staffing and funding from the mid-1970s and still runs three play centres. These are staffed by six playworkers, overseen by play officer Diane Wenham, and supported by 40 to 50 sessional and seasonal staff. Around 5,000 registered users aged five to 14 attended the centres on 55,000 occasions last year.
ACTION
Stevenage's play centres are open from 3.30pm to 6pm from Tuesday to Friday, with morning and afternoon sessions on Saturdays. The centres, which also run additional holiday sessions, provide imaginative free play and supervised risk-taking opportunities, such as building fires and making things with hammers and nails. Staff also oversee arts and crafts, cooking, growing fruit and vegetables, sports, music and dance, alongside activities to develop key life skills.
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