In Lancashire, play chaperones in brightly coloured coats are set to keep an eye on activity at a St Annes playground as part of a safety scheme devised by children at Heyhouses School.
The Play Safe initiative is the first of its kind in Lancashire. It came about when members of the school council identified that parents were reluctant to let their children play in the local park. Motivated by the pupils’ enthusiasm, the school sent leaflets out to parents, grandparents and guardians asking them to share their concerns.
What they say
Headmaster Clive Barnes said: "Some parents told us they were disappointed with the play equipment available, others were concerned about litter or dog mess and quite a few said their children felt intimidated by teenagers in the parks. The main reason was that there is nobody in the park to keep an eye on the playground."
"Working with our local Community Beat Manager, our school council came up with a great idea to recruit volunteer chaperones. The chaperones would need training, equipment and uniforms. We decided we needed a really brightly coloured coat for our chaperones to wear so that our children could easily identify their chaperone in the park. But all this costs money, and although the idea was ours, we could never implement the scheme without support from LANPAC, the Fylde Community Safety Partnership, the High Sheriff of Lancashire and the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. All these agencies have provided funds to buy the uniforms and equipment we need, and we even have money spare to provide a new piece of play equipment specifically for Ashton Gardens."
Children received recognition for their hard efforts at an assembly, attended by the High Sheriff of Lancashire, Gail Stanley.
In her address to the children, she said: "It worries me to hear that our young people are frightened to go and play in their local parks. I want them to feel safe and happy to play and learn together so I think that this initiative is a fantastic idea. Maybe we can spread its success to other communities across Lancashire so children in other areas can benefit too. I look forward to hearing from Michaela in the future about how well it’s going."
