A playful New Year promised for Lambeth children

It's going to be a playful New Year for children across Lambeth with the news that the council has won a bid for £834,260 for its Strategic Children's Play Initiative. The Big Lottery Fund awarded the bid in full.

The new funding will be used to cover ten projects across the borough, ranging from Lambeth-wide art and environmental play opportunities on parks and housing estates to new play areas in a nursery, voluntary Adventure playgrounds, One O'Clock Clubs and one linked to a primary school.

The successful projects are:

• Play Out Lambeth - a borough wide play ranger service in parks and housing estates. The service will provide a range of art and environmental play opportunities for children.
• Lambeth Play Association - for structural and environmental improvement to the voluntary managed adventure playground service in conjunction with users and the community.
• Brockwell Park - a new play area in the heart of Brockwell Park.
• Play Care Lambeth - Kingswood school and near-by areas, including the park, will have a new play service in an area of high need.
• Little Starz Children's Services - the building of a multi purpose play area for children and parents and guardians ajacent to the nursery.
• Myatts Field - Friends of M F Park - a new play area to be built in conjunction with the new One O’Clock Club building.
• Albert Carr Gardens TRA - the building of an environmentally sensitive play area in the heart of this high density Streatham Estate.
• Mooreland Estate - Metropolitan Housing Trust - a new play area in the middle of the housing estate with a focus on the environment and adding value to the play provision in a local school.
• Blenheim Gardens TRA - the building of a new play area in conjunction with Groundwork Southwark and Lambeth.
• Renton Close TRA - a series of new environmental play areas in and around this high density estate off Brixton Hill.

"We will use this very welcome cash to encourage play by providing the means to create safe, accessible and imaginative play provisions, helping to ease parent's growing fears of outdoor play and childhood obesity," said Councillor Florence Nosegbe, Lambeth Deputy Cabinet Member for Young People.

"We are delighted that our bid has been successful. We are ambitious for our young people and this money will help us to deliver a range of projects," she continued.