Campaigners urge rethink on withdrawal of Play Wales funding

Play Wales is facing ruin after its application for funding through the Welsh government’s children and families delivery grants (CFDG) for the next three years was rejected.

The move means the independent charity, which promotes children's rights to play and offers advice to councils on good practice in services, is unlikely to be able to continue beyond 30 September. All staff have been issued with a 12-week redundancy notice.

An online petition has been set up by Play Wales calling on the Welsh government to reverse the decision and is being backed by a raft of play organisations and experts across the UK.

The Children’s Play Policy Forum, which represents Play England, Play Wales, Play Scotland and Play Northern Ireland, has written to Welsh government ministers urging them to reconsider.

Steve Chown, programme development manager for Play England, said: “We have told ministers that the role of Play Wales in terms of supporting play and local authorities is an exemplary model. We are very concerned that the Welsh government has decided to withdraw funding for their vital work.”

Another supporting the campaign to save Play Wales is Cath Prisk, director of social enterprise Outdoor People and director of Play England up until this May.

She said: “All of us involved in play across the UK are backing the petition to stop these cuts. What we don’t want to see is what has happened in England where Play England’s role has been greatly reduced.

“There is a real need for this strategic support for play. The expectation is that local areas can take this up. But what we have seen in England is that some local areas have but others haven’t and need that support.”

Bernard Spiegal, principal of PlayLink, has also joined the campaign, writing an open letter to Vaughan Gething, the Welsh government’s deputy minister for tackling poverty and another to Jeff Cuthbert, minister for communities and tackling poverty.

In his letter to Gething he said: “As your government surely acknowledges, Play Wales has been both a key force and a respected partner in the development of the Welsh government's approach to play, a commitment that runs alongside your government's welcome self-imposed duty to give due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making decisions.”

As part of the CFDG funding process a play grant of £1.4m has been awarded to Groundwork Wales to increase the accessibility and quality of children’s outdoor play opportunities in areas of high deprivation. The work will be carried out with another charity, SNAP Cymru.

But Spiegal believes Play Wales is “the only organisation with the credentials and proven track record” to support government efforts to encourage play.  

In a written ministerial statement Cuthbert and Gething said the way CFDG money is handed out had been overhauled with a greater focus put on service delivery and to ensure it is open to charity sector bids.