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Ashfield Park Hosts National Playday
Media Call: Press are invited to attend the National Playday event at
Ashfield Park, Standish from 11am on Wednesday 2nd August. Contact Chris
Dunbar on 01942 486937.
Over 2,000 visitors are expected at Ashfield Park, Standish next week to
enjoy hours of free outdoor play in the sunshine. Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust’s Play Section will be hosting the National Playday event
in Standish on Wednesday 2nd August. The event which begins at 10am and
continues through to 3pm, is also supported by Wigan Council and the
Wigan Play Association.
National Playday is an annual celebration of children’s play that
features dozens of events nationwide. This year’s Wigan Borough event is
packed full of activities for children and families to enjoy together.
There will be large scale play resources available for children of all
ages as well as bouncy castles, trampolines, sand play, face painting, a
climbing wall, sports tournaments, a games arena, circus workshops,
street dance and even a live DJ! The event is open to all children
regardless of race, gender or ability.
Deborah Freeman, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Play Manager, says,
“It is very important for a child’s long term health and social
well-being that they enjoy being active and participating in activities
with other children. One of the best way for children to develop these
skills at a young age is through play and that is why this event is so
important. Ashfield Park is the perfect environment to enjoy play; it
has lots of natural areas to enjoy and some excellent play facilities.
Everyone who comes along on the day will have lots fun and see how
important Play really is to a child’s development.”
Last year’s event was held at Pennington Flash in Leigh and attracted
over 2,500 visitors. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust have deliberately
hosted the event in a natural environment that gives children the
opportunity to enjoy play facilities in tandem with the natural
environment.
Adrian Voce, director of the Children’s Play Council, highlights the
importance of play in a child’s life, “Playing freely is a natural and
necessary part of childhood – and children need natural environments or
elements of nature in their play places.”
National Playday at Ashfield Park, Standish, on Wednesday 2nd August, is
completely free and runs from 10am through to 3pm. For more information
about Wigan’s National Playday event or to find out more about play
opportunities in the Wigan Borough see
www.wlct.org/play or call Diane Winnard on 01942 886780.
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NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this News Release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Officer, Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust on 01942 486937 or at
c.dunbar@wlct.org.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over
300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See
www.wlct.org.
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s vision to ensure that people across the Wigan Borough have the
opportunity to become more physically, mentally and creatively active.
It also aims to increase community activity and to encourage good
citizenship.
National Playday:
• Playday is co-ordinated by the Children’s Play council in partnership
with The Children’s Society. Now in its 19th year, the national event
involves over 100,000 children in Playday events organised by local
authorities and local people across the UK. For more information about
Playday events visit
www.playday.org.uk
• The Children’s Society is a national children’s charity working with
over 50,000 children and teenagers every year, in 90 towns and cities.
It works in partnership with communities, schools and families. It
helps: children at risk on the streets; children in trouble with the
law; young refugees; children with disabilities. It is a voluntary
organisation of the Church of England. Visit
www.childrenssociety.org.uk
• The Children’s Play Council (CPC) is an alliance of organisations
working to promote the importance of play and stimulate better play
opportunities. Visit
www.ncb.org.uk/cpc
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