Burnley Leisure and Culture is bringing communities together through its “Park Play” initiative. Spearheaded by Sports Activator Josh Jamieson, this program aims to create inclusive and accessible play spaces for people of all ages.
Josh, who has been working at Burnley Leisure and Culture for the past three years, talks about the remit of his role:
“My role day to day is a sports activator, so I deliver a lot of PE lessons in schools. I help run community projects, and most recently I have helped start up and run a session called Park Play which is on Saturday mornings.”
Park Play is more than just physical activity; it’s about fostering community and inclusivity. “It’s just in the name, it’s getting into parks and playing for anyone and everyone in the community,” Josh explains.
The simplicity of the activities on offer means that even if you think sport is not your strong point, you will still be able to have fun and gain something from it, as Josh is keen to stress:
“So we have play leaders down there who set up very basic games, very basic activities, where the real emphasis on is getting families, getting anyone down to play games and take part in some physical activity.”
As mentioned above, having a family feel at the session is of real importance to Josh and the team, because the need to relax and play can often get lost in adulthood:
“We forget we can play as adults. We can take part, so when we run the sessions, one week, we might do a little bit of football games and other things. Some weeks we do a little bit of quick cricket, but we have everyone playing and everyone taking part, which is really good,” says Josh.
Word of mouth has spread about the community-oriented atmosphere that Park Play brings, meaning more and more people are getting involved.
Getting that first opportunity in a coaching environment can also provide a springboard for a great career in sport, and Park Play also provides a platform for a highly enthusiastic workforce to continue to develop their hands-on delivery, which Josh thinks is key:
“We have a good few young ones, you know, in their early 20s, who are taking up a chance now to get out and deliver in the community. Because what I think now with a lot of coaches is they’re not used to that community delivery where they’ve got to really adapt, on the spot and just create a bit of a twist on a game at a finger click, which I think is really important for development.”
As Park Play continues to grow, the team has ambitious plans for the future. “We’ll be looking to have a winter break shortly, just over Christmas, to give the play leaders a couple of weekends off in the mornings and the weather typically around Christmas is always awful. But then straightaway, back in January, we are looking to start up again and hopefully keep growing it, I’ve big aims. I’d love to get it in a couple of the parks across Burnley.”
The most pleasing thing about Park Play for Josh is seeing how the initiative is having a positive impact on the lives of Burnley residents, as he concludes, “The biggest feedback we’ve had is how, from the sessions we’ve done is they’ve had fun. That’s the main thing. They’ve left smiling and wanting to come back.”
So if you want to come down and give it a try, head over to the Park Play Facebook page where you will find information on session times and a link to register. Have fun and remember… keep playing!