Inside story: Active Kids Project

Goal: Modifying the playground environment to increase attendance andlevels of physical activity.

Funding: 106,000 from Sport England over three years.

Fundraising and donations from local business account for a further5,000.

Contact: Max Mueller, project worker, 020 7607 9637.

Children's charity the Islington Play Association has worked with six ofIslington's 12 playgrounds since February 2005 to deliver the ActiveKids Project.

The aim is to make adventure playgrounds more attractive to children andredesign them so opportunities for physical activity are maximised.

The project, available to all voluntary- and council-managed playgroundsover its three-year duration, also takes into account the views ofplayworkers, volunteers and children. So how does it work?

Project workers Bob Hughes and Max Mueller measure levels of physicalactivity using methods such as recording and analysing video footage ofchildren's play. A scoring system is used to record basic activitiessuch as running, climbing and jumping. The ages, abilities of children,patterns of playground use and "novelty factor" of new features are alsoconsidered before a plan is drawn up. Once the area has been adapted,activity levels are measured again.