Unleashing Possibility - Regional Seminars

PLAYLINK is presenting a series of seminars around the country. They will explore:

• what makes a good place to play
• what, so often, stops us creating good places for play
• the connection between play and beneficial risk-taking
• PLAYLINK commissioned legal advice on risk and play and our aspirations for its potential positive impact
• how to support a less defensive practice
• the scope for designing more interesting, stimulating, imaginative places for play
• show just what is possible - presenting the Places for Play and Places of Woe: Places of Possibility Exhibitions
• potential inhibitors to progress: procurement procedures, Section 106, Planning, consultation - and how they can support, not undermine, potential
• the attitudinal and cultural changes required to secure better places for play.

Fear of trouble

PLAYLINK finds, again and again, that too much practice in respect of play places - whether supervised or unsupervised - is driven by a deeply engrained, hardly acknowledged, defensive practice. It is also, too often, backward looking, uncritically mimicking the defective practices of the past.

Equally, and in the same places, we encounter a sense of frustration that this should be the case. There is a desire for change.

To make change a possibility, the rationale for a different approach needs to be clearly - and publicly - articulated; and the 'how to' questions need to be addressed. Not easy matters - but urgent.

The seminars

The aim is to cast a light on key issues affecting play - both in unsupervised and supervised designated play space, and in shared public space - and to draw out the connections between them.

We intend that the days should be genuinely exploratory. We expect agreement - and disagreement. But that is to the good. A bland consensus is not our aim.

The seminars will be facilitated and led by Bernard Spiegal.

The seminars are for those whose responsibilities have an impact on play: play providers, health and safety officers, legal departments, insurance companies, landscape designers and architects, housing departments and registered social landlords, planner, developers, Children Services, PCT, 'Friends of…', Parks and Leisure Services.

Where and When

To be announced

Cost

£155 per person. Includes lunch.
Three places at £30 for genuinely financially strapped groups and projects.

Places

No more than 15 per seminar.

Further information

Contact karen@playlink.org.uk or phone 079 4652 7264 for more details.