Needham Playpark update
Hi all,
Well I
promised I’d keep everyone up to date with the ideas for an outdoor play space
in Needham, so here we are. Spring has sprung and though there are many jobs to
do around the garden as it comes to life, I am committed to this idea of
creating an outdoor space where people of all ages can come together, meet one
another and strengthen community ties in our lovely village.
Our
intention is to create an outdoor community space
that everyone can enjoy. Yes. A playpark, but not just for children! Rather, it will be an attractive area that
everyone can enjoy. The wider the interests, the greater the possibilities! So please
put on your thinking hats and come and help imagine, build, create and tend a
wonderful new space with us – whether its slides, swings, football goals,
exercise equipment, sculptures, benches or flowers, we would love to know what
you think….
Enclosed
in this month’s Needham Link is a survey that is the first stage of really
guaging the level of interest in this project around the village. Please take a
moment to fill it in as it will play a key part in the Playpark future
decisions, giving us some useful statistics to work with. So PLEASE fill it in
and return it to: Needham Playpark Committee, 103 High Road, Needham, IP20 9LG.
Thank you in advance for doing it.
Team
Playpark is a newly forming Committee comprised of
children, parents, grandparents and community members. The more supporters we
have, the more possible this project becomes, so please make yourself known if
you would like to join in the fun – there are many different ways you could be
involved, so please ask and we will find a niche in the group that is just
right for you!
And if you’d like to know more...
A bit of background: With the dwindling of village
primary schools, the younger children of Needham are scattered between
Harleston, Mendham and Pulham Primaries (that I know of) so have little chance
of meeting one another, whilst older children are even more far flung between
Bungay High, Archbishop Sancroft and Hartismere (in Eye) to name a few. We need
to give them the opportunity to meet one another, and be outdoors together...
So
Recent research into public spaces (by the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation) shows:
■ Public spaces
(including playgrounds) play a vital role in the social life of communities.
They act as a ‘self-organising public service’, a shared resource in which
experiences and value are created (Mean and Tims, 2005).
■ Public spaces
offer many benefits such as the ‘feel-good’ buzz, the therapeutic benefits of
quiet time spent on a park bench, opportunities for children and young people
to meet, play or simply ‘hang out’. All have important benefits and help to
create local attachments, which are at the heart of a sense of community.
The proven benefits of outdoor play include:
■ Gives children a chance to burn
off energy
■ Can be calming and allow children
to "recharge" their energy levels
■ Helps children learn to interact
with and understand the natural world
■ Offers a chance for more social
interaction with peers
■
Helps to develop their powers of observation and their assessment of
risk
■ Offers more opportunities for
creativity and free play
■
Helps to build a strong link between physical health and outdoor play,
at a young age
Other important evidence shows that:
■
Almost all children (and adults) have a "natural attraction"
to the outdoors, playing outside, and learning about nature.
■
Being outside and playing outside is vital to a child's growth, and
their physical and mental development; it's important to allow and encourage
our kids to spend lots of time in the natural world.
■
They can "connect" with the outdoors and nature; if children are
outside, they will find any number of ways to play in natural settings.
■
By interacting often with nature, and with other children outside, it
helps to stimulate the curiosity and creativity of children, and also boosts
their confidence as they learn new things.
■ Outdoor time is
vital for children of all ages, but it's especially good for younger children
to learn and grow as they explore.
Ways we can support this:
It is good for ALL of us to spend
time outside. In this increasingly technology obsessed society it can be hard
work getting our children outside, so the more opportunities we can provide for
outdoor play, exploration and games, the healthier our children will grow and
the better chances they have of experiencing all of the benefits mentioned
above.
This will be a space that we will all
be able to use and enjoy together.
Please support it!
Thank you for reading this. The committee hopes that you will find time to fill in the survey that was enclosed with your paper copy of the latest edition of the Link.
Fairlie Winship
