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The Play Rangers are back: community play gets under way for summer 2019

Thousands of children will be out playing in their communities across Scotland this summer after local charities received funding to run Play Rangers in their neighbourhood.

15 charities have received money to increase outdoor play opportunities through Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors community play programme, which is funded by Scottish Government.

Thrive Outdoors supports Scotland’s children to grow up healthy, happy and equipped with the essential skills to thrive in life through playing and learning outdoors.

The Play Rangers sessions are delivered locally in community spaces such as parks, playgrounds, streets and woodlands by trained play workers – the Play Rangers – who facilitate children’s play through open access provision in these community spaces. They encourage children to attend the free sessions and support parents and carers who may not be able to or comfortable with their children playing out in the local area.

The sessions are unstructured and child-led, allowing the children to use their creativity and imagination to develop their own games and ways to have fun.

Play Rangers will run throughout summer holidays and sessions will be held outside of school time during term.

The charities funded for 2019-2020 are:

• Aberdeen Play Forum (Aberdeen)
• Canongate Youth (Edinburgh)
• East Lothian Play Association (East Lothian)
• Family and Community Development West Lothian (West Lothian)
• Getting Better Together (Shotts)
• Jeely Piece Club (Glasgow)
• North Edinburgh Arts (Edinburgh)
• Parent Action for Safe Play (Coatbridge)
• Play Midlothian (Midlothian)
• Possibilities for Each and Every Kid (Glasgow)
• Renfrew YMCA (Renfrew)
• The Concrete Garden (Glasgow)
• Under the Trees (Falkirk)
• Y Sort It (Clydebank)
• YMCA Edinburgh (Edinburgh)

Playing outdoors is vital for children’s health and wellbeing; it boosts physical activity, promotes mental wellbeing and supports children to learn essential social and emotional skills. Outdoor play is also recognised by academics as a vital ingredient to learning and brain development, boosting creativity, imagination and social skills.

The Play Rangers model helps bring about lasting improvements to the quality of children’s play, the use of local open spaces and the way communities come together.