With the summer holidays in full swing, Redrow Eastern is bringing back its Playmaking campaign for the second year in a row, encouraging people to play out and explore the outdoors.
Essex will be ready for playtime this August with a series of events at The Mulberries, in Witham and Millview Park, in Bocking on the 10th of August, and Blossom Park, in Ingatestone, on the 17th of August. They will offer refreshments, nature-based activities and fun games for the whole family to get involved with. The Mulberries, Millview Park and Blossom Park are ready to welcome the whole communities with the events open to both those living on the developments and those in the surrounding areas. Redrow’s continued commitment to play comes following the latest research indicating that 60% of children in Essex lack adventure skills due to decrease of outdoor play.
With Redrow looking to create a better way to live for children who may have lacked access to green space, the events in Witham, Bocking and Ingatestone will offer nature talks hosted by local organisations Eden Oasis and Exotic Explorers, plus free packed lunches for the children. These events are designed to encourage a sense of adventure and play from children of all ages, with research continuing to indicate this is not being addressed. Families across Essex are encouraged to take the time to offer the opportunity to their child to rediscover a sense of play this summer.
Our second nationwide campaign encouraging families to get outside and spend more time playing this summer is again headed up by Helen Dodd, a children’s psychologist who is collaborating with us as an expert advisor to help develop inspiring play friendly communities for residents across Essex.
“Studies indicate that today’s children are spending less time playing outside compared to their parents’ generation, with a significant drop in play activities in Essex.”
“Parents acknowledge the value of outdoor play in promoting children’s physical well-being, mental health, and social skills, yet there’s an ongoing decrease in these activities.”
“With nearly half of the parents revealing that their friendships with neighbours blossomed after their children engaged in outdoor play together, we see the importance of play not just for children, but also for encouraging these community bonds.”
Kevin Parker, Group Master Planning Director at Redrow, said: “Placemaking and the concept of play has always been a key priority for us at Redrow.
“These events in Witham, Bocking and Ingatestone are great opportunities to encourage a sense of play amongst our children and demonstrate a tangible impact that Redrow is having on community engagement for all.”
“We have designated open spaces for play and recreation across our developments, as well as play-on-the-way spaces and multi-functional green corridors including natural play to encourage resident interaction and promote a better way to live.
“We want to go further than minimum requirements, and fully respond to the needs of our customers, which is why we’re working with experts like Dr Helen Dodd and launching this campaign ahead of the summer school holidays.”
