Go Play

  • "The Scottish Government is delighted to support this £4m programme which will help organisations make a real difference towards improving the lives of children throughout Scotland."

Minister for Children and Early Years, Adam Ingram

  • "Play makes a tremendous contribution to happy and healthy childhoods. In turn this makes children much more likely to grow up into happy and healthy adults who can make the most of their lives."

Chief Executive of Inspiring Scotland, Andrew Muirhead 

Go Play is a new programme being run by Inspiring Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government. 

The aims of the programme are to help the play sector in Scotland grow and offer increased opportunities for play to children in Scotland aged 5 to13 years. We have developed our thinking based on research we commissioned into the play sector in Scotland. Click here to view a copy of our baseline report.

The Go Play initial Portfolio was announced in early February 2010 at a visit to Possibilities East End Kids in Glasgow by the Minister for Children and Early Years, Adam Ingram. PEEK staff, volunteers and over 40 children were in attendance giving the Minister and Inspiring Scotland staff a fantastic first hand experience of free play in action.

As of May 2010 three new projects joined the Go Play programme. Care and Learning Alliance, based in Inverness, Playbusters, an East End of Glasgow charity, and 'Play on Wheels', a programme for youngsters in Dundee which brings together The National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries and the National Playbus Association have all been successful in gaining investment from Inspiring Scotland. Click here to read more about the Go Play Portfolio of Ventures.

We are confident that through a robust and rigorous process we have selected 27 excellent organisations that will make a significant contribution through play to improving children's lives. We are delighted to be working with these organisations, and to be making our contribution to play. We are excited and enthused by the ideas and commitment they bring to this work.

We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government to deliver this important work.