GIVE OUR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Invest in Play, Create Playful Communities and Revel in a Creative Britain!
University of Winchester and the Alliance 4 Children were excited to launch this valuable new project on Monday 23rd June, 2025, in the Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street and the Young V&A.
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In an increasingly structured world, the simple act of play holds more importance for children's development than ever before. It is the cornerstone of learning, fostering critical skills in problem-solving, creativity, social interaction, and emotional resilience.
Power2Play is focused on enabling:
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Creation of outdoor spaces for play to address the loss of 50% of spaces in a generation.
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Recognise play as a fundamental right and integrate it into all policy levels.
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Dedicated leadership and increased funding for play, plus mandatory play training for professionals.
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Essential balancing of digital media with play to protect children online.
Recommendations For Political Policy Makers
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Recognise play as a fundamental right
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Uphold children's right to play in diverse settings prioritising free, unstructured play
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Support for families in local communities with the establishment of a National Play Strategy for England that introduces play sufficiency legislation and guarantees opportunities for play across England that align with those in Wales and Scotland.
Recommendations For Local Authorities & Local Communities
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Invest in play provision
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Prioritise play through cross-sector collaboration
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Prioritise lifelong learning and offer co-ordinated and dedicated training programs for staff working in schools, early years settings, family hubs, Better Starts and children's centres
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Promote parental engagement in play
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Update policies to reflect changing needs
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Address disparities in play opportunities
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Support children facing adversity
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Support children's community initiatives
You can read our 2025 Power2Play report by clicking on the icon below to view in your browser or download!
Launch Day, 23rd June, 2025
It was an incredible day of hope, inspiration and joy on Monday 23rd June when we launched our Power2Play report in the House of Lords with a wonderful introduction from Baroness Lister, President of the Alliance 4 Children. The atmosphere and goodwill for children and each other was palpable. All the speeches were made from the heart and with joy in making the world a better place for children living now and the Future Generations to come:
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Eugene Minogue from Play England.
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Baroness Anne Longfield from the Centre for Young Lives.
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Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE on Play at the Heart of Communities.
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Jess Asato MP on how play is vital to creativity and how laws such as 'reasonable punishment/smacking' in England need to be dropped.
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Dr Amrit Purba from Cambridge University on social media, tech & its dangers, especially the ability/time for play to help children grow and thrive.
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Tom Hayes MP who spoke about play as part of political change and being the children’s voice in Parliament.
The fantastic children from Flakefleet Primary School, and stars of Britain’s Got Talent, also performed a section of the new Power2Play song which you can hear HERE.
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From the House of Lords, we ventured to Number 10 Downing Street, to hand in a petition and a copy of the report. Then it was onto the Young V&A Play Museum for inspirational presentations and Q&As from the following:
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Dr Helen Charman - Director of Learning, National Programmes and Young V&A
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Report Author Panel - Dr Amanda Norman (University of Winchester), Dr Viki Veale (St Mary's University), Dr Charlotte Jones (University of Warwick) & Dr Paul Wright (Alliance 4 Children)
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Fiona Ashcroft - CEO of Alder Hey Charity
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Dr Amrit Purba - Cambridge University
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Gillian McMahon - Right2Play
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Paul Lindley OBE - Centre for Young Lives
As a rousing finale, the full Power2Play song was performed by its composer, Alison Wheeler, and the Flakefleet Primary children. You can see a video below of their performance by clicking on the image below, along with other film and pictures captured throughout the event! ​
If you missed giving feedback on your experience of the day, you can download the form below.
