The Association of Play Industries has signed an open letter with over 100 other children’s sector organisations, calling for children to be at the heart of recovery plans.
The letter, here, comes as The Telegraph has launched its own ‘Campaign for Children’ alongside an interview with the Children’s Commissioner.
Mark Hardy, API Chair says: “Ministers must address the harm caused to children by repeated lockdowns as a matter of urgency and put in place long-term plans to support them,”
“Children’s organisations are calling for a Summer of Play to help them to recover. Children have been through so much and the emphasis should now be on freedom, fun and friends.
“Public playgrounds are the number one location for children’s free, outdoor play (away from their homes). These community play spaces are a vital tool in helping to alleviate the damaging effects of the restrictions on children’s everyday lives, particularly for those 1 in 8 households without gardens.
“Public play has been drastically underfunded for several years, leaving many children with nowhere to play. We are calling on the Government, as part of their recovery plans and their aim to ‘Build Back Better’, to prioritise children.
“Hundreds of playgrounds are closing or falling into disrepair and central, dedicated and sustained funding for public playgrounds is urgently needed.”
