Do you have fond childhood memories of playing? If so, Flintshire County Council’s Play Unit would love to hear from you.
The Play Unit is launching a 12 month campaign, aimed at raising the profile and understanding of children’s play. People of all ages across Flintshire are being encouraged to re-live their play experiences and memories from when they were children.
The Play Unit has published a ‘play memories’ questionnaire to help prompt those memories of playing experiences. The information collected will enable comparisons to be drawn between the games played, level of freedom enjoyed and play experiences. It’s also hoped that the responses will give a clear understanding of the changes in play activities and the increasing need for play provision in modern communities.
Janet Roberts, Play Development Officer, said:
“We’re looking for a wide variety of stories – you can tell us generally about what playing was like for you as a child or share a specific story about an individual adventure you had whilst playing. We want to know where you played, how you played and who you played with.
“By the end of the campaign we hope to have a large collection of stories, hand drawn pictures, photographs, scrap-book cuttings and anything else people are willing to donate that reminds them of their play experiences. If not the real thing, then a copy is fine too.
“Our aim is to highlight how previous generations valued play and also to demonstrate how perceptions of children’s play have changed.”
The information gathered during the campaign will be displayed at the International Play Association Conference 2011, held in Cardiff, as well as at other local and national events.
The Play Memories questionnaire can be found online at www.flintshire.gov.uk by searching for ‘play memories’. Alternatively, complete a ‘Play Memories’ postcard which can be found in Flintshire libraries, hospitals, doctors, and community centres, or contact Janet Roberts via email [email protected] or on 01352 702456.
