National News: Children’s access to parkland affects their spacial working memory The Times quoted Eirini Flouri, of University College London: “Our findings suggest a positive role of green space in cognitive functioning. Spatial working memory is an important cognitive ability that is strongly related with academic achievement in children, particularly mathematics performance,” The New York…

Playscape – A Community Effort We were doubly blessed by the American visitors to the Free Church last month. They raised £81 for Playscape with a car wash and then helped us to weed and water the three new trees in the meadow and the new hedge. Not a mean feat considering the distance to…

Playscape plans have been granted planning permission! This is a great milestone for the project. Erect Architecture can now start on the technical drawings, which in turn will allow us to go out to tender (a pre-requisite for most grants) in the not too distant future. Now we need the rest of the funds to…

Playscape – Important for Everyone? We spent a glorious day on the beach last month and I was reminded just how engaging the natural world is for children. We know in our hearts we feel better from being outside and research shows that it is crucial for physical and mental well-being too. George Monbiot nicely…

Work Continues! Playscape and the SSYI took the opportunity over the Easter break to do some remedial work in the copse. Thanks to Keira, Marlon and Zac there is a new (sturdier!) willow and hazel hurdle. If you take any budding den builders down to the copse please encourage them to use sticks that are…

A wonderful bonus of joining Playscape has been meeting all sorts of people in the Village.   Take Ollie O’Meakin, the Romsey Mill and SSYI Youth Worker. He has championed the Playscape cause at every step and initiated our successful Copse Project partnership. Ollie also nominated us for the South Cambs Community Awards 2018 and…

Recipe for a New Playscape Ingredients 1 dozen committee members 2 dozen public consultations 1 x It’s a knockout extravaganza A dusting of abseilers 400 fun runners A generous outpouring of donations Mix it all together, let it rise for a month or two whilst we wait for planning permission and then ice with final…

Playscape: Down by the River Have you seen the new bridge? Thanks to the South Cambs Community chest (and the hardy builders who installed the bridge at the end of December!) you can now cross the ditch with ease. The stepping stones have also been installed, courtesy of the Co-op grant, and given that the…

PLAYSCAPE IN 2018 With over £60,000 raised to date 2018 could be Playscape’s year! The planting plan is ready and the surface water management plan commissioned for us to apply for planning permission. Once the plans have been approved we can go out to tender and apply for the large local grants to get phase…

Playscape & SSYI Dig for Spring Colour On the last Saturday of half-term we met to plant 500 bluebell bulbs in the copse and a range of native plants. Primroses, Wood Sage, Hairy St John’s Wort and Wild Garlic were planted amongst the bluebells and hedgerow plants such as Betony, Red Campion and Upright Hedge…