New Keighley forum’s aim is to encourage children to play in neighbourhood (From Keighley News)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting KNEWS to 80360, or email
New Keighley forum’s aim is to encourage children to play in neighbourhood
2:50pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in Keighley
A new body has been set up in Keighley to give youngsters more chances to play in their local neighbourhoods.
Keighley Play Forum brings together several organisations that work with children aged from five to 11.
The forum’s aim is to “bring communities together under the banner of play”.
It will encourage communities to take more responsibility for local play, while influencing services provided by public bodies.
The forum will also train more local people in play and youth work, and help organisations pool financial resources and staff.
The forum is one of several being set up across Bradford district by the Big Swing charity, which also runs an adventure playground in Eccleshill.
Big Swing project manager Janet Jewitt, said the number of children playing out was diminishing at an alarming rate.
She added: “This is a result of a variety of different reasons, including perceptions of stranger danger, badly lit play areas and issues around road safety.”
In Keighley, the forum is involved in plans to set up new children’s groups at the Fell Lane Scout hut.
A meeting is being held at 6.30pm tonight in the hut for anyone interested in helping. Contact Pip Gibson on 01535 667221 for details.
Comments(2)
samuels david
says...
2:12pm Thu 28 Feb 13
In today’s world, unless under strict supervision no child, playing in public, in my view is safe, without adequate safeguards, whatever the do-gooders will say, and with withdrawal of frontline police, for whatever reasons, I suggest the situation will worsen.
A Bankers Tax on bonuses, just to fund Children’s protection, and a ninety year prison sentence on a ‘Two strike and out’ mandate, with no remission, might help to solve the ever increasing crimes against children and young people.
Will it happen, of course not, unless the crime was to happen againt a high ranking politian!
David Samuels
Stevo54 says...
1:58pm Mon 25 Feb 13
The lady should read the story from a couple of posts up the page.
Parents have a fear of strangers grabbing their kids for a reason namely because it happens.
Unfortunately the streets are not safe for kids to play out no matter how she dresses it up.