Enjoying Leisure Time

Children and young people want more space and opportunities to spend time with friends, outdoor play spaces and accessible sports and leisure provision.

What have we done so far?

A Play Partnership has been successfully established and has begun the process of implementing the Newcastle Play Strategy

£1.1 million Big Lottery funding for play has been approved for the city. Children and young people were involved in putting the bid together through a "Kids Can Choose" event.  Additional funding for play has also been awarded from DCSF (Play Builder status)

A Playwork Curriculum has been developed which identifies how play helps to improve outcomes for children. The curriculum document has attracted national interest.

The City Council has made its leisure centres freely accessible at certain times to all children through the Fusion card scheme. This includes free adventurous activity e.g. rock climbing at Newburn Leisure Centre.

There is increased engagement of children and young people in programming leisure activities, e.g. young peoples forum, Children's gym designed for Lightfoot Centre, Engagement day at Eldon Leisure, engagement at Westgate Centre for Sport and Outer West Pool.

Young people have purchased some of the book stock for City and Gosforth libraries and produced their own labels so that it is instantly recognisable as having been selected by young people.

There are more reading groups in libraries with numbers increasing. A reading group set up for young people in the Forensic Medium Secure Unit, Roycroft Unit St Nicholas' Hospital has been very successful with the young people reading a great deal more than previously and having a visit by the author Anthony Horowitz.

Developments in sports and leisure provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities (CLDD) include:

• A programme of coaching to raise awareness of sports opportunities for children with disabilities and help train SEN assistants to deliver activities, e.g. new age kurling, boccia, multi sports.
• Two pilot swimming clubs established to target young people and adults with LDD to learn to swim, develop water confidence and improve
• A weekly disability dance group in Newburn Activity Centre, in partnership with Dance City and Tin Arts, regularly attracts 20+ participants and their carers. They performed at Gala Theatre, Durham in 2007.
• Following 10 weeks of coaching Newcastle have 9 students with LDD entering this year's Regional Athletics event (April 08) and 15 students into Regional Mini Games.
• Football coaching for Special Schools leading up to the regional FA schools festival in July.

An Extended Services Audit indicated 888 clubs offering a wide range of activities such as sports, arts, family learning, counselling, drop ins, first aid, homework clubs, study support, breakfast clubs, and parenting support.

There is an average of eight different school/PE out of hours sports activities per school.

Newcastle Big Lottery Children's Play Portfolio

Five projects were identified by the Newcastle's Play Partnership and through consultation with children and young people from across the city.  These Five projects make up the Newcastle Portfolio for the Big Lottery Funding.

Related information you might be interested in:

Things to do / places to go (external link)

Science City (external link)

Arts and Entertainment (external link)

Leisure and Tourism (external link)

Libraries (external link)

Outdoor Activity Centres (external link)

Football Development (external link)