Play Streets for Pendle
by Ruby Pearson
A Colne councillor heard an item on the national Play Streets movement on Radio 4 and decided to see if a scheme could be implemented in Pendle. It took almost eighteen months, but Cllr Sarah Cockburn-Price attended the Pendle Council Executive on 25th June to hear them debate her project and determine how it would be administered.
“I am delighted that the Shared Administration has backed Play Streets for Pendle. Our pilot street of Belgrave Road, Colne, has proved just how well this simple, old fashioned concept can work. I would like to thank everyone who supported the right for children to play safely near their homes.”
Colleagues of Cllr Cockburn- Price, Cllr Ashley Sutcliffe and her husband, Cllr David Cockburn-Price, also spoke in favour of Play Streets which see a street closing to through traffic for up to three hours a week at a regular day and time. The street is still open for residents to arrive and leave by car, but they must be marshalled by Play Street volunteers in hi vis vests.
Also speaking at the Executive was Karen Clark, a mother of five, who had seen the Belgrave Road sessions in full swing. She said: “In a world where we constantly hear concerns about childhood obesity, mental health and too much screen time, it was genuinely refreshing to see children outside, active and enjoying themselves. But it wasn’t just the children that stood out. I saw neighbours talking to one another. Parents chatting while their children played. Families spending time together and residents connecting with people they might otherwise only pass by.”
Cllr Sarah Cockburn-Price, who founded Colne Youth Action Group with her husband, commented: “I adored “playing out” as a child. I think we all did, but I have discovered that it is a pleasure largely denied the current generation of children. The decline of “playing out” has predictable negative consequences for sociability, co-ordination and physical fitness. We see this at CYAG, but it is worse than that – there has been a massive rise in non genetic myopia and the huge danger this leads to in terms of macular degeneration and blindness. The reason behind this rise is a plunge in time spent outdoors by children. Scientists calculate that children need to spend at least two hours a day outdoors.”
Pilot Play Street, Belgrave Road’s organiser is Lynette Sherratt-Connelly. “When I read about this on Sarah’s Facebook page” she said, “I got together with my neighbours and we registered our interest straightaway. Our road closure kit was generously funded by Pendle Council’s Colne and District Committee. We’ve so relished seeing all our children playing freely while out of danger and we’ve been busy remembering those games and skipping songs we all loved back in the day.”
