Plenty of totally #childled group fun last night with our #P2N2 after school players. From games of ‘Among Us’ in the park, to battles with robots and dinosaurs 🦖🤖 @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk #TimeToBe #PlayMatters #PlayWorkWorks

Some of our #P2N2 players felt under the weather on Wednesday, so after a play in the park they asked if we could project a film for them to watch 🎥 🍿 After a lie down and a recharge they chose to play Uno and illuminate the play shack💡 @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk #PlayWorkWorks #ChildLedPlay

Different vibe at our after school #P2N2 session at The Play Sanctuary now it’s dark. Card games and stories around the fire pit #PlayingInTheDark

Nature provides us with loose parts and endless possibilities. Leaves piled up ready for the #P2N2 crew and a dominoes playing snail 🐌🍁

Well this old camera has been an object of curiosity and much in demand since it arrived at The Play Sanctuary. It makes a satisfying clunk as the shutter opens and closes and the concept of a film with a limited number of phots has been a hot topic for the #P2N2 crew

Flat out #P2N2 Super Saturday at The Play Sanctuary. Extreme floor is lava session, some wizardry, outdoor dominoes and great damp conditions for giant bubbles #joyful

We’ve been team building with our #P2N2 young volunteers. Some are just starting their journey with us. One was trialling to become an apprentice Play Ranger (good work). Being playful and kind is essential. This lot did a fab tidy up as well 🧹🧹🧹 🧹

We’ve had a proper lovely family play day on our eagerly awaited return to Ayland Gardens. Autumnal sunshine and campfire lunch for 75+ players of all ages #P2N2 #zzzz

One of our #P2N2 young volunteers brought Play Ranger Jasmin a homemade Lego present. Spot the real Jasmin in these pix #BeKindFeelGood

Our fab trustee Kay and her kind family lovingly created this little play house for us. Today Kay, ‘chief sign writer’ in this talented family installed the play shack sign and gave us a large front door mat #ThankYou

Under some ominous looking storm clouds in #BishopsCleeve our players got stuck in to their favourite pastime - gloopy experiments and potions! One mum told us ‘I love Mondays because they have so much fun and can get as messy as they like which they can’t at home’ #CommunityPlay #PlayMatters

Our Tuesday #P2N2 crew created a new game. It morphed from table tennis with the added jeopardy of hiding behind the wall whilst players fired ping pong balls hard aiming for gaps #ActivePlay

One of our new #P2N2 players saw a photo of the giant marble run on our wall of play and asked if he could have a go. People of all ages love our ever expanding wall of photos and it frequently inspires play 📸🤳🎞️📷

Watch out Victoria Beckham! A small child made new outfits for these dolls using socks, balloons and wet wipes during school play nurture. She is 5 years old, super creative and has given the Rangers some great new ideas #CreativePlay

Playwork can be really joyful. Tonight it was really joyful as the #P2N2 made their moves to some fav tunes

This is a developing ritual that is both sweet and important to our #P2N2 players. Everyone wants to be on our height post including our Rangers (and dogs) 🧒👧🐶

Delighted to report that our #P2N2 crew are as keen on cleaning our new play cabin as playing shops in it. It’s been in non-stop use throughout our Super Saturday play day

This little play house has been created and donated by trustee Kay (a landscape architect) and her family who have carpentry, artist, construction skills and most of all, kindness in bucket loads. Everything inside is made from recycled materials. It is a labour of love and we adore it! #thankyou

Introducing our newest arrival! Our super duper play house now named the ‘play shack’ by our #P2N2 crew. One of them said “this is really very good” as they explored inside and out. It was created by our fab trustee Kay and her talented family #thanks

Child led play can be so much fun. All ages involved, everyone included. The shop was raided, arrests were made and there was a big court hearing (with much hilarity) #P2N2 #PlayMatters

When you are 6 years and 364 days old and you celebrate your birthday a day early with your #P2N2 friends, getting to play your fav game of shopkeepers 🛒🛒🛒🛍️🛍️🛍️

When you just need some time to yourself. With a massive decline in third spaces (those that are neither home or work/school) it’s vital to hold onto the brave safe spaces we do have to offer children & young people. Last night our session held that space for all ages to play/chill/contemplate.

🏆 We won! 🏆 Awards season isn’t just for films—playwork has its moment too! Last night, our Play 2 Nurture project, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, won the Altogether Different Award at the National Playwork Awards 🎉

A busy day with 65+ people keeping warm by playing at Manor Farm Park in Kingsway. Amongst it all, we were privileged to be invited into small playful moments with big impacts. 1. A tennis dance class 2. The creation and evolution of a wood louse house - complete with viewing tube/window

Working at the speed of trust, creating safe brave spaces and being available for play and chats underpins how our Play Rangers support children and young people to use the power of play to learn what works to enable them to deal with what life is throwing at them.

#childrensmentalhealthweek #playworkworks 🩵

#childrensmentalhealthweek Our @tnlcomfund.bsky.social project ended in December, but the outcomes for children, young people and their families will continue. The benefits of playwork and working at the speed of trust having a lasting positive impact on people 🩵 #playworkworks #playnurture

On this day in 2013 we arrived on site at Mason Rd, Stroud to children bobsleighing down a snowy hill in a bath tub. We obviously had to have a go too! Those that were there that day still talk about it when they see each other in the street. PG Cool Runnings ❄️ 🛀 🇯🇲🩵

Great to hear Anne Longfield CBE advocating for a play strategy and for play sufficiency when giving evidence to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Creating the conditions for children to play would be a huge step towards supporting children to be and do well. #PlaySufficiency

“This place has a feel. It seeps into the walls & you can feel it when you come in. Every little thing carries a memory. It’s rammed full of imprints of children. There are good stories here.” Play Rangers at @playglos.bsky.social describing The Play Sanctuary #Play2Nurture #GeniusLoci #playwork

The remains of a one on one therapeutic play session at The Play Sanctuary Child-led play takes you down lots of different avenues, some expected, others certainly not! #PlayNurture #PlayworkWorks

Back to play with a cold shock to the system this week. Last night in Stroud we were treated to the opportunity for sub zero star gazing - spotting the Orion constellation close to the horizon. Great to bump into some old friends and catch up. Checking in even at 22 years old 😊

Final reflective evaluation gathering with the #Play2Nurture team and @wendyrussell.bsky.social as our precious project draws to a close. So many amazing stories about some incredible children and families #Comfort&Joy #ThankYou

As the year draws to a close, so does our lottery funded #Play2Nurture project. Three years of imbedding therapeutic playwork into our charity and community. Time flies when you have lottery funding, it’s been joyful. Reflections from us coming soon! 🩵

“Errr [Play Ranger] Jasmin, can you help me please! I’m stuck in a bush” We’ll be honest we didn’t expect to see feet sticking out of the bush THIS way up! 🤪 Some gentle persuasion, guidance, & contortion & the player was freed from his leafy incarceration 🙌 No day is ever the same in playwork 😂

Is night kite flying a thing? If not, it probably should be 😍 When you’re in charge of the play, you can make and break the rules to suit your needs. All together now… 🎶Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height🎶

"The photos don't have sound but you can see the noise they are making, it's so lovely to see": an inclusion liaison officer on how much the children (all with speech & language difficulties) she'd referred to @playglos.bsky.social #Play2Nurture project enjoy having the opportunity to #play there.

Last week in Podsmead it was Lightsabers at play, this week we had roundabout by torchlight. The tweens & teens all enjoying time together. Play Ranger sessions during the dark winter nights have a different vibe to the long summer evenings, we LOVE BOTH 🩵 #LoveOutdoorPlay

Today we watched as team work amongst our Play Nurture group led to a 93m string being created & stretched across the school playing field “We need more,MOOORE string!” An impressive collaboration for no reason other than just because they could & they had permission to play 🤪

At the end of our session in Bourton this week we heard shouting coming from the darkest end of the park. Concerned it was turning volatile we went down to investigate 👀👂 Turns out it was our players excited that they’d spotted the Starlink satellites. They were shouting for everyone to “LOOK UP!”