Island Youth Project

Free play sessions for children and young people are to be made available through a new Play Ranger scheme thanks to lottery funding secured by the Isle of Wight Council.

A team of Play Rangers will be putting the fun back into play by offering a range of after school and holiday activities in the Island’s parks and open spaces. The sessions operate on an ‘open access’ policy, so no booking is required, children simply need to turn up at the sessions which will be advertised locally through schools and community groups.

The activities organised by the Play Rangers are designed to get children and young people active via innovative team games and everyone taking part will be actively encouraged to create new activities for everyone to share. The sessions will also encourage creativity through arts and crafts, sport and general active games.

The work carried out by the Play Rangers, which are fully funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will contribute towards the objectives of Every Child Matters, a government initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of young people across Britain. Play Rangers aim to encourage children and young people to confidently make greater use of the open spaces in their communities, with the knowledge that the Play Rangers are there to support their play activities. The Play Ranger team will also be part of the Play Partnership, a group responsible for using the £1.1 million Play Building secured earlier this year to develop at least 22 new or refurbished play areas on the Island.

Alongside these projects, the Isle of Wight Council has also secured funding for an ‘I’Play’ facility which will take the form of a brightly coloured mobile bus. It will contain mobile ITC equipment and a variety of toys and will travel around the Island encouraging children and young people to play, with a particular focus on promoting fully accessible opportunities for all. The scheme is being co-ordinated by the council’s play development officer and Fraser McDermott from the Riverside Centre in Newport and will be fully operational this summer.

Carly Kennen, Isle of Wight Council Play Development Officer who is leading the team of Play Rangers said: “My role is to promote and encourage play opportunities for Island communities. The project will encourage children and young people to use their imagination to develop their own ideas for things to do, we as staff will simply support their ideas and try to make them happen. I am currently visiting schools and youth organisations to find out what sorts of activities young people would like to get involved in. I am beginning to hold taster sessions at schools across the Island before starting the after school sessions in the summer. Soon we will be looking to recruit the additional play rangers, which will allow us to get started in the Island’s open spaces.”

Cllr Alan Wells, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member for children and young people said: “The new Play Ranger scheme gives children and young people something fun and active to do after school and during the holidays. Not only will it help keep people fit, it will also develop planning, social and creative skills as they will be actively encouraged to take ownership of the scheme and have a say in the play activities.”