Play Torbay Newsletter Autumn 2024

Once again: What a busy year it’s been! I’m not even sure I can fit all the news into one newsletter, so much has happened since the last newsletter. Grab a garibaldi and a brew and settle in for a good read.

Junior Placements

With the introduction of James our Play Support Mentor, we have expanded our Junior Placement programme and now have 35 fantastic Junior Placements supporting us since Easter. 

This has involved delivering lots of training for the young people and applying to the Council for work permits too.  Our Junior Placement team have been helping out at various events and clubs throughout the year, having a great time, making new friends and developing amazing skills too. Well done to all who participated. You’re all superstars!

Earlier this year, Councillor Hannah Stevens met some Junior Placements at a Brixham Town Hall event and decided to award us £1000 of Council Ward monies which was wonderful.  Two months ago she was appointed Civic Mayor of Torbay and has written about us see attached article in this autumn’s edition of the Brixham Signal: https://www.brixhamtowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/154/2024/10/October-2024.pdf

In September, James Forsyth, one of our playworkers worked with James Arthur, the Play Support Mentor,  to plan and organise an overnight Junior placement camp-out at Indigos Play and Ecology Centre. This was FIRST and proved to be a fantastic way to cap off a summer of hard work. The Juniors had to pitch and sleep in their own tents, share spooky stories, as well as playing games and enjoying a movie under the stars, It was a perfect opportunity to relax, have fun, and a way we could show our appreciation of the Junior Placements outstanding contribution.

Mayfield Hub Club

Working in close collaboration with Stuart Heron, head of Mayfield School we were thrilled to be to open a second club for children with Autism in Torquay to address the growing need for provision in Torbay.     

Mayfield Hub Club started in April 2024 and now runs every Thursday evening in term time.  From April to July we ran nine sessions and had 263 attendances and are receiving really positive feedback.  Similar to ASRUS in Brixham, there are several organisations including Moor to Sea (music) and SENDIASS (information, advice and guidance for parents and carers with children with additional needs) who support us.   This means we are able to deliver a wide range of opportunities both indoors and out catering for the varying needs of the children and adults who attend.

2nd Green Marketplace Event

On Saturday 4th May we celebrated all things Eco and Green at Indigos Play & Ecology Centre at our 2nd Green Marketplace event which included a Solar Disco by - DJ THERMIX, an Environmental Storyteller - Martin Maudsley and even a mobile Pop Up Scrapstore. 

The sun shone, there were lots of eco art and craft activities as well as delicious food.  If you weren’t there you missed a real treat.   Over 115 people attended.  Everyone worked hard to make it happen and, on the day, and it showed, because the entire day was a great achievement!

Play Torbay’s 25th Birthday Party

On the 6th of July we ran a fantastic Birthday Party event at Indigos Play & Ecology Centre.  Yes, that's 25 years of play in Torbay!!!

The event was a huge success with over 200 people attending having lots of fun including making huge bubbles, balancing on Indigos new slacklines, bouncing on a bouncy castle, enjoying a very wet water slide and helping to create a new willow gateway in Indigos to celebrate Play - Torbay becoming a Torbay Global Geopark Associate.

 Levelling Up Funding

We were awarded £60,000 of Levelling Up funding for some much needed developments and improvements at Wild Fox playground.  There was a lot of cheering when we found out about this. There is a great deal of work to be done at Wild Fox and this money will go a long way towards making it the playground we all dream of and a great boost for the families of Foxhole and surrounding areas.

 Plans are all in place and progressing nicely. Chris and his band of helpers, volunteers and staff have already worked really hard on this project. On 10th June they all set to clearing the site, making it safe and getting it ready for the next phase of work. And what’s that saying… ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work?’ Well it certainly did that day. It’s staggering how much they achieved… wow!  But of course it’s nowhere near complete and there is still a huge amount to be done. The project timeline involves obtaining planning permission by late November, then starting utility work, with building construction during the February school break and completion by late March. There is a huge amount to do but Chris is definitely the guy for the job! here is a huge amount to do but Chris is definitely the guy for the job!

Training

This year we have undertaken a significant staff training audit which has involved all our staff and trustees ensuring they have all the relevant and up to date training required to deliver a quality service provision…. Although this has been tricky for people to fit into their already busy schedules, we really have appreciated your support in helping us to make sure we are up to date with the latest training and regulations.

Heritage Fund

We were awarded a grant from the Torbay Local Heritage Fund to involve children and families in the local heritage of Torbay through playful activities at the Indigos Playground in Brixham.  This has involved:

• Planning and delivering Play Torbay’s 25th Birthday Party

• Creating a film of 25 Years of Play in Torbay hearing different people’s play memories over the years and additionally children’s dreams for the future. The film was made by Emberlense and is a brilliant montage about the work we do and the impact it has and is about to be launched very soon… we may be having a first screening event soon watch this space

• Delivering eight ‘Inquisitive about Indigos’ nature geo play sessions with Weird Sticks across the summer holiday to encourage children and families to come to play, whilst at the same time finding out about the Geopark and its significance.  vik and Hannah worked with children and adults to create a very special entrance arch to the higher woodland area.  They used different coloured willow and hazel to represent the geological layers and the rock formation of Torbay and children created creatures to live there.

Summer HAF 24

From the 29thJuly – 23rd August we ran our Summer HAF 24 programme in Paignton and Torquay. Phew-ee!! Sessions were a great success again this year. The weather was on our side (mostly). The surprise hit of the year was the accidental road trip days from Barton to Indigos which came about to accommodate a venue clash … these proved to be really popular, and every session was fully booked!

The programme included some nature play sessions at Indigos Play and Ecology centre with Weird Sticks as described above.  We know that everyone worked really hard at all three sites to give all the children a great time and your hard work has not gone unnoticed. Thank you and well done everyone.

Play Torbay AGM

18th June was Play Torbay’s AGM which could sound like a dry and crusty affair, but it really wasn’t.  Ben Kingston-Hughes, our fantastic guest speaker gave a really funny, informative and thought provoking talk about the value of play. Check him out: http://www.inspired.org.uk he really was an inspiration. We could have listened to him all evening.

As part of the event there is a reflection on the year which gives an insight into how we have performed as an organisation in the previous year. It’s really quite jaw dropping to hear how much we (which includes you) achieved.  Some of these include delivering 62 holiday and after school sessions and 1750 children attended, 38 ASRUS sessions with 765 children attending and that we opened a second autism club in Torquay Mayfield Hub Club and in only 9 sessions a total of 263 children attended.

Foxhole Clubs

In September we started to run the popular Crafty Fox club again in Foxhole, thanks to funding from Sanctuary Housing.  This is a free weekly club we run for under 12’s at the Crafty Fox Café. Children have a choice of things to do like crafts, games and music. It’s really starting to take off now and is a great boost for the Foxhole community.

As part of our continuing partnership with the Foxhole Community Centre, back in March the Centre was awarded some much needed funding to help run a drop in play sessions called Foxhole Fridays.  These are after school play sessions offering a free, safe space for the children to gather, meet, play pool, table football and board games together and hopefully make new friends held at Foxhole Community Centre every Friday.  They have proved to really popular and there are regularly over 40 children and young people coming along each session.

Play Torbay Newsletter Spring 2024

Hello!  Welcome to the spring newsletter. Did you know… that, according to the Met Office, and they should know, that half of Devon’s expected annual rainfall fell in the first three months of this year?   I don’t think any of us are really surprised at that statistic are we? Have you grown webbed feet yet? In spite of the weather though we have been getting on with LOADS of stuff over the last few months. Here are a few highlights to bring you up to date:

Eco Climate Presentation: On the 15th December we were really proud that Agata and Ivy, two of our young people working with us on Junior Placements attended the Torbay Climate Partnership meeting and made a fantastic presentation about their work with Play Torbay and developing eco activities with young people.  They also shared personal stories about how they first got involved with Play Torbay and how it is a safe, inclusive and calm environment. The Partnership congratulated them on their incredible work.

‘Future Proof’ Eco Takeover: On the 3rd Feb we took part in a ‘Future Proof’ Eco takeover at Paignton Library which was great fun. The idea of the event was to encourage people to Re-use, Repair, Grow and Enjoy. There were all sorts of activities including: the ‘the big clothes swap’ and learn to mend, junk modelling, making simple soft toys; getting crafty with old books and helping to make a community artwork, tips on growing vegetables and fruit in small spaces and so much more. It was a joy to be part of this amazing and important event.

Charity of the Year: On the1st February Beverly Holidays named Play Torbay as their charity of the year. Their plan for us is to ‘raise lots of smiles and stacks of cash.’ On top of this on the 21st  Feb Beverly Park accomplished their mission to raise lots of smiles when they invited ASRUS to their holiday park to watch their pantomime, Aladdin. Lots of children and parents, and a few staff,  thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

UNESCO Global Geopark Partnership: On the 20th March Play Torbay heard that their application to become a Global Geopark Associate had been successful. What’s a Geo Park you ask?  Great question…

‘UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Global Geoparks are areas with internationally significant geology and interlinked outstanding natural and cultural value. Geoparks help people explore and celebrate the links between our communities and the earth.’

We were really excited about this new alliance as it aligns beautifully with our environmental principles and strategy.  We are certain it will be a very successful partnership.

Easter Extravaganza Event: On Friday 29th March we held our Easter EXTRAvaganza! It was full of fun with Easter egg hunts, eco friendly games, arts and crafts, outdoor fun and adventurous play. With 98 cheerful young people and their families in tow, the Easter Extravaganza was a vibrant hub of smiles and laughter. The highlight of the day? An egg-ceptional Easter Egg Hunt that had everyone on their toes, searching high and low for those elusive clues to find the chocolate treasures. Huge thanks to Riviera Signs for generously donating the delicious Easter eggs that fuelled our adventurers' excitement!

Easter HAF & Nature Play Sessions: From the 2nd to12th April It was wet, it was windy but did we let the weather get in the way? Of course not! We ran outdoor play sessions in Torquay and Paignton and had a great time with lots of different play activities. We provided a healthy lunch and gave great tips on good food to eat. At Indigos  Ecology and Play Centre we also ran shorter afternoon nature play sessions which proved to be very popular too.

Continuation Fund Update

Thanks to a successful Lottery funding bid we have been able to create two new posts, one for a Support Mentor and one for a Programme Development Co-ordinator. So what does this mean?  It means that they will help us to plan and run a range of Play Torbay events for children and parents. This will in turn create opportunities for our amazing Junior Placements to develop their skills, competency and confidence. This will lead on to increased choices and pathways to employment in the future. Everyone’s a winner! Ok, we know you already know Sam and James as they’ve been around for a while now, but we want to properly introduce you to the people who are already making this magic happen. Actually, why not let them introduce themselves? Take it away guys…

‘Hi, I'm James Arthur, the Junior Support Mentor for Play Torbay, and I'm passionate about using the power of play to connect, support, and empower children and families, I enjoy helping young people explore their dreams, develop social skills and build confidence in a safe and nurturing space.’

‘Hi everyone! My name is Sam Wilson, I have been with Play Torbay as an Enabler for over two years however recently became the new Programme Development Coordinator. I LOVE this role! It means I get to look for lots of different funding pots to help Play Torbay continue doing what we do best, develop new outreach projects, organise lots of fun events such as the Easter Extravaganza and bring together lots of local community partners so I can scream about all the amazing things we do and bring in new ideas, skill sets and resources.’  

Foxhole Developments

We were thrilled to have been awarded a grant from Devon Community Foundation PCC Safer Communities Grant. This means that we can continue the multi agency work effort in the Foxhole area of Paignton, an area that desperately needs support. To start proceedings we have done some work days and got a lot of rotten timber cleared which has given us a much better picture of how to move forward with the site. Of course Chris our Maintenance Manager and his band of merry helpers are always quietly working tirelessly in the background to keep all the sites in good order.

Alongside this initiative to improve Foxhole and help to build a community spirit, we have joined forces with staff and volunteers at the Foxhole Community Centre and SHAAQ to help to run a free drop-in club, Foxhole Fun Fridays, for children under 12.  It is proving to be hugely popular with football in the Muga, supported by Plymouth Argyle, board games, table football, table hockey and pool provided by Foxhole Community Association, arts, crafts and bushcraft skills supported by Play Torbay and a lovely freshly cooked snack and fresh fruit provided by SHAAQ  and staff at the Centre.  And it’s really great to see up to 40 children turning up after school on a Friday often with family members too!  

Indigos Play & Ecology Centre

The old container at Indigos was becoming a quite a hazard so we had to employ Gilpin services to come and remove it.  This turned out to be quite epic job with a massive amount of materials and debris to be removed.  Despite the huge amount of timber left behind we have now got an exciting new space in the playground and work has already started on a new MUD kitchen with a donation of a stainless steel sink from Beverley Holidays! This will be a brilliant addition for the playground because mud is fun!  Children of all ages love it! Mud play gives them a sense of freedom and engages all the sense whilst stimulating creative play. Once you give children the permission to get dirty, they won’t hesitate to play in the fascinating yet simple combination of dirt and water.  Using kitchen utensils and natural materials, such as twigs, leaves and pebbles, children will spend hours letting their imagination run wild. Mud pie anyone?

Mayfield Hub Club

Now for some BIG NEWS!….We have been aware for some time that there has been a need for another club in Torbay for children in autism. Not everyone can, or wants to travel to Brixham every week. We are very excited to tell you that the Mayfield Hub Club  will be starting at Mayfield School, Moor Lane, Watcombe, Torquay, TQ2 8NH on 25th April and will run on each Thursday from 6.00 – 7.30pm during the school terms – see https://www.playtorbay.org.uk/our-clubs

And finally… Changes

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts” – Arnold Bennett

 As you will be aware, there have been lots of changes this year. Sam and Tanny have been running the alternative provision since January and behind the scenes we have been working hard to improve our systems such as carrying out driving checks and introducing CPOMS safeguarding  software.  We have also been making sure staff training and certification is up to date.   All of this is to make sure we meet quality assurance requirements, are compliant with legislation and the very best that we can be, but need your help  to do this.   If you have been given on-line training to complete and it is still outstanding, please can you undertake it it as soon as possible as it may affect you being able to work.  THANK YOU!

Play Torbay Newsletter Autumn 23

Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter, although it is nearly Christmas!! Ok, admit it, is your tree up yet? Ours isn’t but the Christmas jumpers have made an appearance already. Hohoho! Before we get too caught up in the festive mood lets have a look back at whats happened recently.

Summer HAF Programme

Once again it’s been a busy, busy time at Play Torbay with lots of exciting new developments but before we get ahead of ourselves let’s take a moment to look back at the amazing, albeit a bit soggy,  Summer HAF Programme.   

After a HR Review Report we received in July we had to do a lot of last minute running around filling forms so the Licensing & Permits Officer at the council could agree all the work permits for our junior placements to support us with the summer sessions. During the summer we ran 48 play sessions across 3 sites in Torbay with a total of 974 attendances by children and young people. What a fantastic achievement by all involved. Give yourselves a huge pat on the back, you were all amazing.  The feedback from the council, parents, children and indeed from some of you was that this year ran smoothly and was a great success.

WE WON!!!!  

As a result of the HAF sessions we won the best Holiday Club Award Autumn 2023. That’s down to YOU so a giant thank you to you for all your hard work and enthusiasm.

Indigos Play & Ecology Centre

Developments at Indigos Play & Ecology Centre continue to go from strength to strength. Have a look at the blog and see just what’s been happening. We have been working really hard to improve the facilities at Indigos. The photos always tell the story better … but here’s a quick breakdown of what has been achieved in a relatively short time.

• The old tool shed has been removed and replaced with a new one and including a good path up to it.

• The paths have been cleared and a new sign at the Rowan Way entrance. The new sign was designed by Ralph, isn’t it fab?

• The Play Pod had a long overdue clear out and officially became a loose parts storage play shed again. It has been very popular with the children.

• The popular bath swing has been repaired and the fire circle relocated

• A new floor has been installed in the tower to make it safe.

• New Swisco bins for general waste and recycling have arrived. Whoop!  Who knew you could get so excited by rubbish bins?

Many thanks to Chris who has been leading on all this hard work which we never really saw happening, he just quietly gets on with it and we all reap the benefits.

In July and Ocotober we had requests to host birthday parties in there. “Ooh, we thought, What a great idea. Why didn’t we think of hiring it out for parties before? Lets see how it goes.” Of course they turned out to be a huge success as Indigos is perfect for birthday parties. Thank you to Sheena and Carmen for hosting them. The children loved them and the parents could relax knowing that their children were in a safe environment where they could simply enjoy being in the wonderful space. We provided arts and crafts crafts, toasting marshmallows and the new PlayPod which were enjoyed by the parents and the children and a great time was had by all. Hopefully it will be the first of many birthday parties there.

Lottery Continuation Fund

Now we have some fantastic news! Did you see us doing the happy dance around Brixham when the news was announced? After a lot of hard work our lottery bid was successful and we have been awarded £158,000 over two years to fund two new appointments, a Programme Development Co-ordinator and a Play Support Mentor. Their jobs will be to plan and run a range of events to build a network of parents and children which will help to support and build communities . This will in turn provide opportunities for junior placements to further develop their skills, competency and confidence. All of which is brilliant on its own but in addition to this it will also create choices and pathways to future education and employment for them. It really is a case of everyone’s a winner!

Alternative Provision

Our Alternative Provision is doing well with 13 young people currently on roll this term. We have also been busy recruiting and we would like to welcome some new staff members to the team: Jane, Georgina & Katie. We have also been looking into and awaiting approval to deliver Unit Awards certifications by AQA which will help celebrate young people's achievements which we are excited about.

Wild Fox Developments

It isn’t just Indigos getting all the attention. A lot of work has been going on at Wild Fox since the summer.  In October after a site visit, a plan of action has been produced.  As you know, the site is in quite a state at the moment and the first priority is to get it  cleared. Until that is done we can’t get a clear picture of what will work best on the site in the future.

With that in mind we have organised two volunteer days to clear the site 29th November and 13th December.  Play Torbay staff and some student volunteers from PGL will be there to help remove unsafe wooden structures, remove the tree house and the shelter over the fire pit – among other things. If you could spare a couple of hours to help out on either of those days it would be very much appreciated. Please contact Chris on 07716457677 if you’d like to be involved on either or both days. All volunteers will receive a roast dinner at the community centre? To be fair, they do a great roast dinner. I’d volunteer just to get that!

While we are on the subject of the community centre…they, as well as Torbay Council, Kings Ash Academy, Paignton Police, Sanctuary Housing and Play Torbay have all been involved in the creation of a new drop-in style youth club at the Foxhole Community Centre every Friday 4.30 – 6.30 (4-6pm from January 2024). This is an exciting development in an area that desperately needs support. Hopefully this will be the start of Foxhole turning a corner and the beginnings of the regeneration of this community.

That’s you all up to date for now. We hope you enjoyed this catch up.  We are achieved a lot this year and have lots more planned for next year.  We are well aware that  none of it would happen without YOU!  Let us be the first to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a  Happy New Year and thank you all for your support and hard work throughout this year.

Play Torbay Newsletter Summer 23

Welcome to the summer term newsletter. Goodness me. Isn’t this year just flying by? There is so much going on that if you blink, you’ll miss it.  Just in case you blinked, here is a brief catch up of all this term’s news.

Indigos Play & Ecology Centre

Over the past few months there has been a massive effort to develop Indigos Play & Ecology centre.  The site has been transformed into something special including the installation of a new large poly tunnel and shed as well as the moving the PlayPod within our grounds too. Although the poly tunnel is still pretty much a blank canvas it’s already been put to good use and proved its worth during the Coronation Breakfast when it poured down all morning. Not that that stopped anyone enjoying the day. There was food, hot drinks, music, seating and most importantly, a really lovely atmosphere.  We are looking forward to integrating it more into the events and sessions there.

We recently had a fantastic day celebrating the official launch of Indigos Play and Ecology Centre at our Green Marketplace Event on 1st July which saw the award-winning environmental storyteller Martin Maudsley - telling stories and  with a dozen different stalls and a chance to find out from members of the Imagine this… environmental impact group about the different ways people are tackling climate change across the Bay

We’re moved !

After a lot of hard work by lots of people we have finally moved in to our new home. Play Torbay now officially lives at Indigos. The address, if you want to send a happy new home card (just kidding), or anything else is: Rowan Way, Brixham, TQ5 0BS

Forest School

The Forest School is going from strength to strength. The feedback from parents has been amazing. Mel spoke at the AGM about the work she, Emily and James have been doing at the forest school and the impact it is having on not only the children but also the parents who attend with their children.

She has explained that the forest school isn’t just a quick dip into nature but a longer term process which takes place in the natural environment and in all weathers. Rather than just learning about nature she takes a holistic approach and works with the children on both physical and emotional growth.

As the group has developed Mel has noticed that the children and their parents have become more relaxed, and supportive of each other, sharing ideas and experiences and they have engaged with the entire concept. Some parents have become more involved  by taking on fundraising and one has even raised over £1000.

AGM 2023

Thirty people attended Play Torbay’s Annual General Meeting on the 18th May which included some fascinating presentations including:

• Karen, the Chair of the Trustees providing an overview of the work of Play Torbay in the precious twelve months

• Tempy and James, both on Junior Placements, talking about about they had attended HAF sessions and how it inspired them to become play workers.

• Mel talking about the work of the Forest School and it’s achievements so far.

• Steve, one of our trustees, talking about the value of creating playful spaces and how far Play Torbay has come since it began and how attitudes to play have changed over the years.

• Sarah Pengelly providing information about HAF, healthy holidays, activities and food provision and moving towards a more child friendly Torbay.

Outreach Play Sessions

Thank to funding from Sanctuary Housing we have been able to start delivering weekly play sessions at Foxhole at the Crafty Fox Café which have been really well received so far and is ongoing to the summer holidays.

Over the past two months we have been holding weekly play sessions for asylum seeker children who have been living in the Abbey Sands hotel. This included providing a range of play and craft activities which the parents have enjoyed as much as the children.  Thanks to Tonic Creatives for securing a small grant to buy play items as the playground at the hotel had been closed off to them. Sadly, on the 19th June they have been moved to other locations around the country.

Wild Fox Fire

You may have heard that there was a fire at Wild Fox. Youths set fire to the shed causing a huge amount of damage. Thank you to the many staff and volunteers who worked above and beyond to sort out the mess. The Foxhole Community Centre has been really supportive and are halpeing us with the delivery of our food for our summer sessions so with this inmind we are aiming to get the site up and running for the Summer Holidays.

Life Time Achievment Award

Tanny Stobart. Director of Play Torbay was nominated for an award in an inspiring night of celebration at the Torbay Weekly Business Awards on 15th June at which almost 300 people attended. After much waiting through the different categories she was finally presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her inspirational work championing young people in the community. Well done Tanny.

Play Torbay Newsletter Spring 2023

Life moves quickly here at Play Torbay with lots of new developments and ideas emerging all the time and we thought it would be nice to have a newsletter to keep you up to date with what has been going on in the background and all the exciting new developments. So here we are.  

Welcome to the first edition our new termly newsletter.

Playground Improvements

There have been so many exciting projects going on. Already this year we have been successful in getting £15,000 from the Community Fund and £5000 COMF Covid Safe funding from Torbay Council to help us improve the playgrounds. Work has already started on this and so far we have:

The broken swing has beenremoved and new poles erected, that offer lot of play potential with loose parts.

The large shed has now been removed…. The space that this now creates offers lots of possibilities.

At Indigos:

• Removed the old, dangerous structure

• Repaired the bath swing

• Installed a small kitchen storage shed next to the cabin

• Installed some large upright poles for play with loose parts

•  And we are building a large, multi purpose poly tunnel in the old garden area.

 At Wild Fox we are planning to:

• Dismantle the vandalised shed and the shed on the treehouse.

• Build a fence around the tree house to make it safe.

• Secure the treehouse steps Install upright poles for play with loose parts.

• Tidy the fire pit structure.

Indigos Play & Ecology Centre

We are also very excited to tell you that, inspired by our young people, we have made a commitment to protect the planet and develop Indigos as an ecology and natural play centre. We are aiming to create a space where we can inspire positive environmental change by encouraging people to engage with nature in an informal play and learning  environment.  We are planning to launch this later this year. We were also recently successful securing a Devon in Earth grant to help kick start this process. With all this in mind we have launched our first Forest School sessions for home education groups. This has been really popular with lots of great feedback from both children and parents.

 As we have developed the Forest School and ecology centre we have put a lot of thought into what we want to achieve and our main principles are set out briefly below:

• We are raising  awareness of the impact we have on climate change and how our actions can make a positive difference.

• We are increasing awareness of energy issues and improve energy efficiency.

• We are encouraging the whole community to make responsible food related choices.

• We are raising awareness of the flora and fauna in our immediate environment and exploring ways to increase biodiversity.

• We are promoting the health and wellbeing of young people and the wider community by encouraging them to make environmental connections for their health and wellbeing.

• We are raising awareness of transport issues and encouraging practical solutions to make change possible.

• We are raising the awareness of the impact of waste on the environment and exploring ways to minimise waste.

• We are raising awareness of the importance of water both locally and globally and demonstrating how simple actions can cut down on water use.

We’re moving house!

After six years at The Barn we are moving the office to a lovely new home  - at Indigos. We have a had our own post box fitted and everything and hope to have completed the move by the end of April. Our new address is: Play Torbay, Rowan Way (see, even the address fits our ecological ethos better!) Brixham, TQ5 0BS.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2023

We are really excited to have been awarded a major grant for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2023. Now we can run a bumper packed Easter and Summer programme of events at Indigos in Brixham, Wild Fox in Paignton and also Torquay, we aren’t sure of the venue yet in Torquay but watch this space.  

Last year we received over 3000 children and young people who came along during the summer schemes and had an amazing time, thanks to you. We think this year will be even bigger and better. As part of the prgramme we are offering free ‘Playtime’ Playwork training on the 23rd March in Torquay for anyone interested working and supporting children's play.  If you’d like a place on this training just book free tickets.

We hope you enjoyed this first newsletter. We are always interested in your opinions and ideas so please let us know if you have anything you would like to share.