On Wednesday 2nd August, I attended an event organised by Play England to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Playday, the national day for play in the UK.

Play England is an organisation which recognises the role of play in a child’s life, and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of play to their wellbeing. They aspire to a country in which all children are able to reap the benefits of play throughout their childhood and into their teenage years, and work together with local organisations in order to achieve this vision.

The event marked the 22nd year of a Playday event taking place in Stockport. It included arts and crafts, a straw maze, a cardboard city and many more fun activities to get children up and about and enjoying themselves in a healthy and open environment.

During the day, I visited the stall held by Action for Sick Children, a Cheadle Hulme based charity which played a lead role in organising this year’s event. The charity was celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Dental Playbox initiative, which aims to educate young children about the importance of brushing your teeth and encouraging them to look after their dental hygiene.

It was a pleasure to attend and support this wonderful event which has an important aim at its core by encouraging children to get out and about and play safely. I’m delighted to be able to support a movement that encourages children to play, enjoy themselves and develop into happy teenagers and adults.