About February 13, 2007

The Reccy Ranger play van, a partnership of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, Shropshire County Council, SureStart, and Through the Doorway to Healthy Living provides an innovative play project for children and young people in Shrewsbury. It has just completed its second successful year.

The van’s design has received many compliments and enquiries since going on the road.  The equipment on the van is wide and varied, it includes goal posts, uni hoc, kwik cricket, tri-golf, fold up target, footballs, netballs, tennis sets, basketballs, a little tikes basketball stand and skate ramps. Play equipment includes a giant soccer ball, parachute, stilts, dressing-up clothes, space-hoppers, skipping ropes, small balls, hula hoops, gym balls, toddler toys, egg and spoons, sacks for sack races. Arts and craft are catered for and we have a wide variety of craft materials and paints including face paints.

Holiday play sessions have been held at a variety of locations throughout the borough, including Crosshouses, Dorrington, Ford and Pontesbury and throughout North Shrewsbury. Children between the ages of 1 and 18 have attended, mostly without parental supervision. Throughout the holidays we worked and played with other organisations such as HomeStart, West Mercia Police, SureStart, Express Zone, The Shropshire Playbus Association and NCH.

Parents, local community members and residents were delighted to see free supervised activities for children on their local green spaces. We have had over 1300 children use the facility in the holiday periods.
Term time has seen the Reccy Ranger deliver lunchtime play sessions in 4 junior schools in North Shrewsbury with approximately 30 – 40 children dipping in at each session.  As well as supporting community groups involved in children’s play we visit parent and toddler groups to offer advice and support. During the summer term we delivered a series of 13 Top Tot sessions at Harlescott Community Centre. We have also gone into school to provide extra play sessions as rewards for pupils at the request of the headteachers.

Over the last year we have seen the number of young volunteers helping at the summer sessions grow from 2 to 6 and during term-time we have had a 15 year old youth assist during lunch time sessions. He had not attended school for over a year but was bored at home so volunteered to help with the scheme. This worked very well and during the time he assisted his confidence grew and he contributed to the sessions in a positive manner. We also had a young person help out as part of his work experience programme.

The Reccy Ranger project was initially funded for a two-year period and this draws to an end in November 2005. Through the Doorway to Healthy Living has secured £150,000 from the Big Lottery Youth Fund to develop the project over the next three years but the funding will not be released until we can secure matched funding from other sources. Included in the bid is a second van and equipment to provide street sport activities specifically for 11 to 16 years old. The Borough Council has committed to support the project and we are looking to the Shropshire County Council for further support.

Dorothy Jones – Reccy Ranger