Conference Report

1. Park Life
Conference 2015
Wednesday 25th March 2015
Bodnant Welsh Food, Furnace Farm, Tal-y-cafn, Conwy
Visual minutes by the Scarlet Design Int. Ltd. team captured ‘live’ at the event www.franohara.com
If you require these visual minutes maps in an alternative size or format please contact ohara@scarletdesign.com

2. PARK LIFE CONFERENCE
A North Wales conference aimed at promoting ways in which people might better design,
develop and maintain places for children’s play, with a particular focus on parks and other
designated, unstaffed, play areas.
In July 2014 the Welsh Government introduced a statutory duty on local authorities to secure sufficient
play opportunities for children living in their areas. This duty is concerned with increasing and
protecting the time, space and permission children have to play throughout all aspects of their lives,
and so is about much more than designated play provision alone. However we know that parks and
play areas are part of the solution and that the ‘quality’ of these areas is often seen as an indicator that
those responsible ‘care’ about children’s play needs.
Children value flexible spaces that they can use and adapt in a variety of ways, which can incorporate
both man-made and natural features including trees for climbing, hills for rolling down, places for hiding
and opportunities to build dens. Designated play areas also serve as landmarks and have been shown
to support parents in giving their children permission to “play out”.
This conference explored the nature of children’s play, what makes a ‘good’ place for playing and the
processes involved in developing and maintaining successful play spaces. In doing this it will provide
practical examples of both large and small playable spaces from across the region and will support
participants to consider issues associated with risk management, funding and community involvement.
Please email millieboswell@cvsc.org.uk for more information.
Kind regards,
The Play Officers North Wales Group

3. AGENDA
09.00 Coffee and registration
09.30 Welcome and introduction by chair Geraint Anwyl
09.40 “Design features of play”
Mike Barclay, Wrexham Play Development Team
10.15 “Developing and Managing Play Spaces; A Community Toolkit”
Martin King-Sheard, CVSC Play Development
10.45 CASE STUDY - ‘Space Saviours
Marianne Mannello, Play Wales
11.15 BREAK
11.30 Managing Risks and Benefits
Tim Gill (Author of ‘No Fear – Growing up in a risk averse society)
12.15 ACTIVITY – Barriers to playing
12.30 LUNCH
13.15 CASE STUDY – Creating playful spaces
Gill Byrne, Executive Officer, Ray Ceredigion
13.45 ACTIVITY - Risk Benefit Assessments
14.00 CASE STUDY – Developing a bespoke play space
Charlotte Stretton, RSPB Conwy
14.30 CASE STUDY – Community ownership of play resources
Siwan Owens, Anglesey Play Development Officer/ Millie Boswell, CVSC Play Development Worker
15.00 Wren – What funders expect from applications
Richard Thorogood, Wren
15.20 Concluding Remarks

4. ©SCARLETDESIGN2014.MAPS:WWW.FRANOHARA.COM
Park Life
Conference 2015
25 March 2015
Visual Minutes
by the Scarlet Design
Int. Ltd. team.
www.franohara.com

5. ©SCARLETDESIGN2014.MAPS:WWW.FRANOHARA.COM
Park Life
Conference 2015
25 March 2015
Visual Minutes
by the Scarlet Design
Int. Ltd. team.
www.franohara.com

6. ©SCARLETDESIGN2014.MAPS:WWW.FRANOHARA.COM
Park Life
Conference 2015
25 March 2015
Visual Minutes
by the Scarlet Design
Int. Ltd. team.
www.franohara.com

7. ©SCARLETDESIGN2014.MAPS:WWW.FRANOHARA.COM
Park Life
Conference 2015
25 March 2015
Visual Minutes
by the Scarlet Design
Int. Ltd. team.
www.franohara.com

8. Taflen Wybodaeth / Information Sheet
Cymorth Lleol/Local Support
Ynys Mon/Anglesey
Prif Swyddog Chwarae / Principal Play Officer : Siwan Owens
Ebost/Email: SiwanOwens@anglesey.gov.uk
Safle Wê/Website: http://www.ynysmon.gov.uk/cymuned/plant-a-
theuluoedd/strategaeth-chwarae-ynys-mon/
Ffon/Phone: 01248 752968
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/Angleseyfamilies/
Twitter: @MonChwaraePlay
Conwy
Prif Swyddog Chwarae / Principal Play Officer: Martin King-Sheard
Ebost/Email: martinkingsheard@cvsc.org.uk
Safle Wê/Website: http://www.conwy.gov.uk/playdevelopment
Ffon/Phone: Martin and Millie – 01492523857
Facebook: www.facebook.com/conwyplaydevelopment
Twitter: @conwyplay
Sir Ddinbych/Denbighshire
Active Lifestyle Manager: Rhian Roberts
Ebost/Email: rhian.roberts@conwy.gov.uk
Ffon/Phone: 01824712728
Sir y Fflint/Flintshire
Swyddog Datblygu Chwarae / Principal Play Officer: Janet Roberts
Ebost/Email: janet.a.roberts@flintshire.gov.uk
Ffon/Phone: 01352702456
Gwynedd
Prif Swyddog Chwarae / Principal Play Officer: Gwydion ap Wynn
Ebost/Email: gwydionilanapwynn@gwynedd.gov.uk
Ffon/Phone: 01286679919
Wrecsam/Wrexham
Prif Swyddog Chwarae / Principal Play Officer: Michael Barclay
Ebost/Email: play@wrexham.gov.uk
Safle Wê/Website: www.wrexham.gov.uk
Ffon/Phone: 01978298361
Twitter: @playwrexham
Cymorth Cenedlaethol/National Support
Play Wales: www.playwales.org.uk
Health and Safety Executive, play and risk:
www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/childrens-play-july-2012.pdf
Managing Risk in Play Provision:
www.playengland.org.uk/resources/managing-risk-in-play-
provision-implementation-guide.aspx
Welsh Government Play Policy:
www.playwales.org.uk/eng/playpolicy
Statutory Giudance: www.playwales.org.uk/eng/sufficiency
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:
http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

9. Partners Information
Natural Resources Wales
Our purpose is to ensure that the environment and natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and
used, now and in the future.
Natural Resources Wales provides and enables opportunities for people to play, learn and develop skills in and about the
natural environment.
We currently offer:
• curriculum linked and themed educational visits for all ages and abilities
• training for education and environment sector professionals
• advice and guidance
• data sets and resources
• subject experts, including visiting lecturers
• a range of safe and accessible sites and trails suitable for self-led visits
• an annual conference and photo competition
• a variety of placements, including work experience and apprenticeships, through the Natural Resources Wales
Placement Programme
• support for the development and delivery of accredited learning in Forest School, Coastal School, River
Restoration and Outdoor Learning
• co-ordination of the Outdoor Learning Wales (OLW) network groups – local groups offering networking, funding and
opportunities to share best practice
• community and school events as part of the Plant! project – a tree planted for every child
For all enquiries please contact us: education@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

10. Chair
Geraint Anwyl, Conference Chair
Geraint Anwyl retired from the Police Service in 2011 having served in Avon & Somerset, London and North Wales, attaining the rank of
Chief Superintendent and also performing the role of Temporary Assistant Chief Constable.
He has performed a variety of roles which have seen him chair numerous strategic groups at national and international levels. For 10
years he held the ACPO portfolio of National Road Policing Intelligence and represented the United Kingdom at TISPOL, the European
Road Policing Organisation. Geraint has chaired meetings and conferences across all EU member states and has been heavily involved in
European Casualty Reduction strategy.
He is a fluent Welsh speaker and since retirement has returned to beef and sheep farming. He continues to travel
extensively as a member of vocal group ‘Trio Canig‘.
Visual Minutes
Helen Frost, Scarlet Design Int. Ltd. team
Fran O'Hara, Helen and the Scarlet Design team work across Wales and the world capturing visual minutes at a wide range of events.
These are used as communication tools, to share the presentations and discussions; as memory aids; to illustrate reports, as signposts and
to increase knowledge and awareness. They provide information in a more accessible and engaging way.
References
Link to the RAY Ceredigion facebook page which has the Landscaping film in both English and Welsh
https://www.facebook.com/RAYCeredig?fref=ts
Reference for “legislation introduced by the Welsh Government placing a statutory duty on
local authorities to assess and secure sufficiency of play opportunities for children living in their areas:
http://www.playwales.org.uk/eng/sufficiency
Thanks
The Play Officer North Wales Group would like to thank all the delegates for attending the Park Life Conference and for contributing
whole heartedly to the days proceedings. We would especially like to thank the speakers for setting the scene for the day and the Scarlet
Design team (www.franohara.com) for providing excellent visual facilitation services.

11. What did you find most useful about the event?
• Overall a great and very informative day.
• The risk benefit assessment stuff, the information regarding the
RSPB and WREN information.
• Meeting others, risk issues, what funders expect.
• Knowing that this is happening in other places.
• Consolidating knowledge and networking.
• Information from Richard Thorogood.
• Pointers for what makes a good play area.
• The variety of information from the different speakers.
• Information regarding grants, HSE and risk-benefit
assessments.
• Mike Barclay’s presentation, hearing about good work that is
going on.
• Constructive discussion about risk.
• Introductory talk on play/risk management.
• Excellent presentations which were very interesting and will be
directly relevant to my work. It will make me think about my
approach to play.
• Constructs of childhood, health and safety myth busting, risk
management discussions, emphasis on spending less on play
areas and consulting with children in less tokenistic ways.
• WREN funding application advice.
• Developing and managing spaces.
• Sharing on-the-ground projects.
• Useful contacts and links to other organisations. Made me rethink
about traditional play areas and more of what children want.
• Useful information on what to look for when researching a new
project idea and what to consider for funding.
• Opened my eyes to other ways of creating play areas. Also
application process.
What did you find least useful about the event?
• I found there was a lot of case studies, I got a bit bored during
them as they were a bit repetitive and not all relevant.
• Lots of presentation pictures were too small to read.
• Not enough time to talk to others.
• Grant funding advice.
• Tim Gill’s presentation.
• Case studies were disappointing, difficult to take ideas to
implement.
• Too many case studies. The day became quite tedious in the
end because of the amount of case studies and this was what
may have attributed to people leaving early.
Park Life Conference: Delegate Feedback

12. Do you have any further comments?
• The room was a little cramped but the food was lovely.
• All in all a good conference with loads of useful information.
• Great venue, lovely lunch and facilities.
• Lovely lunch. Room very squashed for leg space, noisy with
people coming in and out to clear cups, drilling and talking in
the corridor.
• Bit tight with space. Lots of reference to “no fear” but couldn’t
locate one. Good food.
• Looking forward to seeing the graphic minutes.
• Best lunch ever at an event.
• Not much space at the refreshment queue.
• Visual minutes were great!! Nice to recap and re-enforce
important messages.
• Extremely well organised, food excellent.
• Larger venue required, separate room for coffee and food.
• Room was cramped, preferred the Conwy venue where the
previous conference was held. Catering staff clearing cups etc
was distracting and hard to hear speakers.
• Venue was lovely, food was amazing.
• Small for the amount of people, amazing location.
• Beautiful location, food etc.
• Do we need regular all Wales events like this to share good
practice/challenges especially as we seem to be building
up some good presentation results e.g. films to back up
presentations.
Suggestions for future training events?
• Have an event where there is a play project to see during the
coffee/lunch break.
• Like to learn more about where schools are sharing their
grounds for community access.
• Tea break in the afternoon would have been good.
• Round tables? Higher projection screens.
• Ensure everyone can see clearly.
Park Life Conference: Delegate Feedback