No Work All Play for Happy Healthy Children
This year we celebrate 20 years of delivering the world of innovation and are proud to stand by our mission of:
“Creating exceptional outdoor spaces which inspire children to be more active, improving their health and wellbeing”
Over the years, however, we have seen more time taken away from children to be outdoors and being active. The inactivity crisis continues which has made us wonder why when we have clients across the UK committed to delivering high-quality green spaces.
In response, we are launching our campaign ‘No Work All Play’ to highlight the value play has in bringing families outdoors and being active. We will also be showcasing some of our best-designed sites that have captured the imaginations of all generations to be active.
This is in recognition that not everyone is sporty but everyone has the ability to get outdoors and experience social, fun and active experiences if positioned and presented in the right way.
The trouble, we find, is the obsession with meeting targets; calories burned, time spent active etc. Whereas taking a walk to the park or playing alongside your kids (which in turn keeps children active longer) is as valid a way of keeping active as taking part in a sport or going to the gym. The need to broaden the spectrum of activity to impact the levels of inactivity is paramount. How do we do this? It comes down to the fundamental basics of design.
High-quality design should be in the heart of all provision. As any designer knows high quality isn’t just about the materials, but about the way it impacts the people it serves to deliver. If a community isn’t engaging in a more active lifestyle this will, in the majority of cases, be impacted by a neighbourhood design that hasn’t considered the demographic carefully, addressing issues that will inhibit the use of space to its full effect.
Through our campaign ‘No Work All Play’ we will share lots of fantastic imagery of products and projects to inspire every provider of outdoor facilities to consider their provision very carefully through product positioning, landscape features and great design. Being active shouldn’t feel like hard work, something best put off, but just part of daily life and enjoyment, which we feel is best represented through PLAY!
