We were delighted to host our 2024 AGM and bring together a room full of people passionate about play. Our event was called Creating Better Play Opportunities for Every Child and we hosted various speakers on this topic.
Speakers
We were joined by Kyleigh Lough, the CEO of the Mae Murray Foundation as our keynote speaker for our AGM. Her presentation, ‘Lived experience creates opportunities for participation’ covered the groundbreaking work that the Mae Murray Foundation has been doing. They work in Northern Ireland to ensure all children can access their right to play.
We also heard from Etive Currie. Etive is the Spatial Planning Place Lead – Research + Development at Glasgow City Council. Her presentation covered her work in supporting play by involving children and young people in the planning process, a cutting-edge approach.
We also heard from Christopher Russell. Christopher is the Scottish Government policy manager for the Play Strategy and the renewal of play parks based within the children and family’s directorate. Christopher gave an update on the refresh of Scotland’s Play Strategy – which is forthcoming in 2025.
Cherie Morgan, Play Scotland’s Head of Projects, gave an overview of the work Play Scotland has been completing this year. She covered the development of guidance for Play Sufficiency Assessments, the first two OPAL Schools to receive their awards, the expansion of our training provision, and the continued development of our Play Pedagogy Award.
Our final speaker was Professor John McKendrick. John is a Professor in Social Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University. Althought he could not be with us in person, he joined us via video. He shared his reflections on the progress for play in Scotland.
Play Champion Awards
We were delighted to present our Play Champion Awards this year to:
- Udston Primary School, for their outstanding achievement in being the first Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) school in Scotland
- Donna McKay, for her outstanding leadership in building a whole school approach to play pedagogy at St Martin’s Primary School
- The Mae Murray Foundation, in recognition of their innovative and inspirational work to ensure all children are free to enjoy a range of opportunities when they play
- IPA Scotland, in recognition of 30 years of IPA Scotland’s highly impressive contribution as part of a global forum advocating for the child’s right to play
- Professor John McKendrick, in recognition of his inspirational academic leadership in the understanding of how, where and when children play
- Etive Currie, for her innovation in placemaking and dedication to improving the lives of children and young people, families and communities
We then heard reports from our Chair, Paul Liddell, our Treasurer, John Clearly. Our AGM closed with a thank you message from our CEO Marguerite Hunter Blair.
Share:
