Joyful sight of children playing in the street
Health experts are calling for roads to be closed regularly to allow children to play in the street, after pilot schemes increased youngsters’ activity fivefold. More than 500 communities have signed up to the Playing Out initiative, which works with councils to pedestrianise roads.
FOR most adults, playing out on the street with friends was a natural part of growing up. But today’s risk-averse culture, coupled with the increase in traffic and the growth of indoor entertainment, has left many youngsters living their childhood largely inside.
Now a group of health experts is calling for roads to be closed regularly to allow children to play in the street, after a study showed pilot schemes increased youngsters’ activity fivefold.
More than 500 communities have signed up to the Playing Out initiative, which works with local councils to pedestrianise roads for an hour or two each week to allow children to play safely near their homes.
Analysis of the scheme by the University of Bristol found that residents reported a greater sense of a community and happiness, and said their areas were more friendly and safer. One woman said the project had helped her to combat postnatal depression.
Children’s activity levels also increased between three and fivefold on the road closure days, and parents said skills such as cycling and road safety awareness had also improved.
As children started to get to know each other, the study authors found that a “calling for you” culture developed, where youngsters began to call in on each other to see if their new friends wanted to play outdoors.
Youngsters interviewed said that, were it not for the scheme, they would be sitting inside, watching television, playing video games, or eating junk food.
“We know that time spent outdoors is related to greater daily physical activity and reduced risk of obesity,” said Angie Page, professor of physical activity and public health at the university. “This resident-led intervention shows
‘This growing movement is really starting to challenge the idea that playing out is a thing of the past’
the potential for meaningful increases in physical activity as well as social benefits to children and the communities in which they live.
“It is relatively low-cost, scalable and potentially sustainable – this is why it makes sense for public health.”
Although NHS guidelines suggest that, from the age of five, children need 60 minutes of physical activity a day, only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls achieve that.
Each extra hour of activity daily is associated with 0.5 lower body mass index, but declining exercise levels mean that one in three youngsters in Britain is now overweight or obese.
The Playing Out movement was founded in 2011 by Alice Ferguson, who wanted her children to be able to play in the street, as she had done as a child. The Bristol study found children using the scheme were outdoors for at least 70 per cent of the time that the roads were closed.
Mrs Ferguson said: “We never expected it to take off like this and to have so many amazing outcomes for whole communities. This growing movement is really starting to challenge the idea that “playing out” is a thing of the past. Children today need the chance to be outside, active, making friends and being part of their communities just as much as we did a generation ago”.
Parents who have established schemes in their area say it has transformed their communities.
Alison Stenning, a mother and Playing Out organiser from North Tyneside, said: “The kids all know each other now, across different ages and regardless of the school they go to. Some of the older kids now babysit for the younger ones. Lots of them have learnt to ride their bikes or scooters during playing out sessions. The adults play, too, with their own and other kids. We all know each other much better than we did before.”
A second report by researcher Tim Gill, author of No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society, found that the scheme was particularly helpful in disadvantaged areas where children had no parks or where streets were dangerous. “Play streets are not just for upand-coming urban areas and leafy suburbs: they can succeed in poorer areas too,” said Mr Gill. had been scheduled to take off at around 11am but an accident during refuelling meant that passengers were kept on the Tarmac for two hours before being told to return to the terminal. At around 10pm, the passengers were told to queue up for the flight, but after half an hour, nothing more had happened, prompting the wife of the passenger who was allegedly assaulted to complain to airport staff.
“The couple were showing some irritation, which was perfectly understandable,” said Mrs Arkwright, 49. “Then suddenly this man lunged at him and whacked him.”
A video later emerged of the incident, in which an irate passenger is heard saying: “This is a disgrace, we’ve got children, babies screaming, no nappies, no food.” She adds: “You are appalling.”
The airport worker then appears to knock something out of the man’s hand, who pushes him away, before the employee punches the passenger.
An easyjet spokesman said the person in the photograph was believed to work for Nice Airport’s special assistance provider, Samsic.
A statement said: “easyjet is very concerned to see this picture and can confirm the person in the photo is not an easyjet member of staff and they do not work for easyjet’s ground handling agents in Nice.”