FUNDING TO IMPROVE PLAY SERVICES
Sandwell Council has pledged £330,000 to deliver, with partners, a wider range of free play services for children in the borough.
The scheme called ‘Go play Sandwell’ has seen grants being given to The Albion Foundation, Creative Academies, Groundwork West Midlands and the Murray Hall Community Trust to run sessions in each of the towns in Sandwell. The Albion Foundation sessions will be based in the Smethwick, Creative Academies will focus on West Bromwich, Groundwork will concentrate on Oldbury, Tipton and Wednesbury and Murray Hall will base their services in Rowley Regis. Sessions will be based in local centres with the majority being outdoors in a bid to encourage children to play together locally, be more physically active and enjoy the outdoors.
The sessions are aimed at children aged between six and twelve years old (up to the age of 16 if children have special educational needs or disabilities).
They will take place after school, during term-time and throughout school holidays. Sessions are free and open to all.
They will be delivered after school between 3pm and 6.30pm and school holiday sessions between 10am and 3pm – Monday to Friday.
Sessions will begin from Monday 3 April and full details will be on Sandwell's partners’ websites. Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children's service said: "I hope Go play Sandwell will prove to be really popular with children and their parents and carers. "We have teamed up with partners who are very experienced and already deliver other great services across Sandwell and hope this project proves to be a real success."
To find out more about our partners and what sessions are on offer go to www.sandwell.gov.uk/goplay.