Welsh Government
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Minister sees how North Wales projects are protecting children’s right to play
Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths, has seen first hand the benefits of play to children’s well-being and development during a series of visits in North Wales yesterday.
The Minister visited The Land project in Wrexham, an innovative adventure play ground for children which has been supported by the Welsh Government’s Communities First and Families First programmes.
Run by the Association of Voluntary Organisations Wrexham (AVOW), the unique scheme – which has received media interest from across the globe – allows young people to use recycled material to build their very own play space, complete with treehouses and obstacle courses.
The Minister also met local residents and young people at Wrexham Council’s Playable Spaces project in Coedpoeth, Wrexham, which enables residents and young people to identify and enhance local spaces and turn them into places where children can play.
The Welsh Government believes in the importance of play in children’s lives and has provided over £263,000 for play projects in Wrexham for 2014/15.
The Minister said:
“Play has a hugely important role in children’s lives, offering a wide range of benefits to their health, happiness and well-being. This is why the Welsh Government took a global lead on this issue, making Wales the first nation in the UK to legislate on play.
“Both The Land and Playable Spaces are unique schemes which show the commitment of all the partners involved to ensuring children and young people in North Wales have excellent opportunities to play. These projects allow young people to develop their independence and responsibility and are a chance for them to work creatively with others.”
The Minister also saw how Eryl Wen – a refurbished Flying Start centre in Llandudno, Conwy – is helping give youngsters the best possible start in life, thanks to Welsh Government funding of £176,906 to improve its services.
Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s flagship early years programme which improves the lives of children in some of Wales’ most disadvantaged communities.
The Minister added:
“The aim of Flying Start is to give children in Wales the very best start in life, which is why we protected funding for the programme in our recent draft budget.
“Today’s visit has shown the scheme has been life-changing for some families in the area. Parents and staff have seen the positive impact it is making on the development of their children, while giving them the opportunity to obtain new skills, build knowledge and gain employment.”
The Welsh Government wants to increase the number of children benefitting from Flying Start to 36,000 by 2016 and has committed funding of £282.9 million to support the expansion.
The Minister also visited Remploy in Wrexham to see the employment support they offer to people with health conditions and disabilities throughout the area and meet people benefiting from the services.
