Afters@TRACC wins Play Award

A Tain based, Care and Learning Alliance managed out of school club, Afters@TRACC, has won an Award for the development of very low cost play opportunities that promote free play. The vehicle for this play is drainpipes! The children’s imagination determines how they will be used and this has involved water, marbles, toy cars, den making and they have even stood in as skis.

The Award, offered by The Highland Council, in association with Play Highland was presented at the Easter Ross District Partnership on the 4th of September. Its purpose is to promote the benefits to children of positive play experiences and share good practice that is going on in the Highland area. The winning group was awarded £1000 for doing the most to promote play through innovative activity.

Vice Chair of The Highland Council’s Education, Children and Adult Services Committee and Tain and Easter Ross Ward member, Councillor Fiona Robertson said:  “All of the applications demonstrated high quality play but this particular project stood out as being very original and creative within very tight budgetary constraints. It promoted the principles of the Highland Play Strategy and, most importantly, it supported the development of free play and was clearly a big hit with all the children.”

Alasdair Lawton, Chair of the Easter Ross District Partnership said: “We are pleased to see recognition of the high quality of play provision for children in Tain”.

Angela Andrew who submitted the entry for Afters@TRACC said: “We are delighted to have won the Award. We are an after school club that promotes free play and we chose the drainpipes with the children who use the club. They have been used constantly in many different ways that really show us how imaginative children can be”.

Further information about play initiatives and developments across the Highlands can be found at http://www.playhighland.co.uk/.