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!