Parents and Carers

Children experience many barriers to play including traffic, fear of crime, and busy structured lives as well as technology and time spent on screens. We understand the difficulty in encouraging children to get outside and play and the pandemic has added an extra layer of difficulty. We want every child in Gloucestershire to get out and play every day which is why we provide free, open access community based play sessions overseen by our experienced and trusted Play Rangers

Frequently Asked Questions

Our community Play Rangers are trained Playworkers, fully DBS checked, with extra qualifications in first aid, mental health first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene.

Open access means that the play is free to use (no cost), children are free to choose what they do and importantly, children can come and go as they please. There is no formal register at these sessions and the Play Rangers will not stop children from leaving site.

Our community Play Ranger sessions target 7-14 year olds. Under 7’s are welcome and should be accompanied by a parent or carer. We love families to join us at all our sessions.

Play is an essential part of every child’s life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. Playing out with friends is a high priority for most children.

We encourage children to take responsibilities for their own actions. We think this is good for them. They will be encouraged to resolve disagreement and conflict amongst themselves. We will intervene if absolutely necessary. Play Gloucestershire believe that children need and want to take risks when they play. Our Play Rangers aim to respond to these needs by offering children stimulating, challenging environments for exploring and developing their abilities. In doing this, we aim to manage the level of risk so that children are not exposed to unacceptable risks. Our experience tells us that whilst children play outdoors they are likely to have accidents. We promote adventurous play whilst trying to prevent children taking unacceptable risks. If this causes concern please come along and talk with us.

We believe sensory play playing out in all weathers is good for children, but we do ask them to wear suitable clothing. We do have windbreaks, tarpaulins for building awnings and large dens and we also have our fire pits for the coldest weather. In the event of thunderstorms we may need to evacuate the site and send children home.

Our Play Rangers will provide drinking water at all sessions. We promote healthy eating and sometimes will provide free fruit. Please wear your old play clothes – children will get hot, cold, dirty and smelly from the campfire.

If you have a question that hasn’t been answered in the FAQs, please use the button below to get in touch.