( In addition to running our busy resource centre)  

Saturday 28th August 2010. The BIG HEAT showdown at the Brickyard Community Centre

The showdown was a celebration of the centres summer events and  included the Youth World Cup Tournament Finals, Pride in Honeywood Cultural Arts displays, arts and crafts, and catch up on progress with the “HEAT Generates Life” Environmental Programme.

We attended and provided a range of hands on craft activities including decorating felt peace doves, an aboriginal game in a bag, cloth puppet making and banner making. Other activites included a very lively Zumba experience. For further information see

http://www.gedling.gov.uk/index/ac-home/ac-newscentre/ac-news-archive/ac-news-article.htm?newsid=37302

11 th August 2010 Arnold Playday

At Arnot Hill Park, Arnold 1pm to 4 pm.

A Gedling Play Partnership Event. See   http://www.gedling.gov.uk/leisure/ls-ae-ho/ls-playday.htm 

We provided a range of activites including a healthy eating stall with fruit and water for every child. This was funded by Nottinghamshire County Councillor Mel Shepherd.

Our activities used mainly recycled materials. We provided a  large cardboard castle with tunnel to a cottage that children decorated, medievel crafts included costume and shield making. Children filled in playday questionnaire to help with future planning. 

Through Aiming High for Disabled Children we employed Wildlife Workshops. They showed children how to care for a range of animals and gave hands on experience of handling them. 

Over 7000 came and played.

On 17th July we held our Our Annual General Meeting. This followed an equipment, book and toy sale. We had a information and ideas share throught the morning.

June/July a range of workshops held at our recource centre for  Breaks in Partnership groups including Sutherland House and Debs4Coffee

Gedling Gala 3rd July 2010

Gedling Gala Committee have ran one of the most successful events to date. The Park was full of music, dance and people just having a good family day out. We esimate over 2000 people joined in with this community event.

We provided a range of creative activities, from rocket making and launching to  planes, general craft table and yes those bowler hats again, with around 180 rehomed.   We were next to Gedling Gala Committees Beach area, this was always full of children playing with sand and water.

No idea how they will top this next year, may just have to go and find out.

Netherfield Heathy Eating Month Activities at Jacki Bells Field  23rd June 2010 5-7pm

A Gedling Borough council, Nottm PCT event.

We provided a marquee full of creative activities and information on our services, including Aiming High for Disable Children Pathfinder workshops.

A lovely warm evening making windsocks, decorated shapes and glittery bowlers. Due to requests we did agree to provide these again at our next event in Gedling...

Held at our resource centre. We provided 6 initial activities and responded to childrens requests on the day to provided banner painting, noise makers, facepainting etc. The children and young people were also encouraged to raid our scrap store to make dens, costumes and 'objects'. From 10am - 3pm, 50 people made, played and then took home bags of materials to continue their play at home.

Funded through Aiming High for Disabled Children Pathfinder fund See Aiming High

Catlton Play Day June 2nd 2010

A Gedling Play Partnership event, organised by Lorraine Brown, Gedling Borough Council, Leisure Services. An estimated 700 children brought their adults to this popular event.

We provided a range of creative activities for the whole family. 

Other activities provided by our play partners included  Road Safety, BMX, games, fitness activites and goal shooting from Ice Stadium,  A busy and successful day. We were sponsored by Gedling Borough Council.

Colwick Play Park Celebration Event May 22nd 2010

Gedling Homes provided funding for a new play area. A celebration event was organised by Colwick Parish Council and supported by Gedling Borough Council.

Many organisations attended and provided free family fun for our community.

Gedling Homes Event May 8th 2010

We provided four craft activities at this well attended event. People braved the rain to participate in a range of activities and gain information from a wide range of stalls and interactive displays.

Gedling Homes thoughtfully provided hot food and refreshments to all attending. At the close, people were still playing, learning and wanting to take part in the activies. some suggested an evening barbeque would have been a nice addition. (but only if it stopped raining!)

Spring Training Workshops 27th March 2010.

Childcare and playworkers took part in our popular craft workshops at our resource centre. morning and afternoon sessions were offfered - some stayed all day. Participants were from various settings including: special schools, playschemes, childminding, holiday clubs and after school clubs.  

Not all activiies were planned, participants children joined in with the workshops untill they took over the scrapstore to produce a puppet theatre and two plays. Look out for more productions at our playdays.  Training funded by Notts County Council, Play Service, Play Development.

Open meeting 25th March 2010 at our resource centre.

All were welcome. Meeting was held to discuss the changes to our forum,  membership criterea and charges for the coming year.  Members attending were from schools, uniformed groups, out of school care, pre-school, holiday clubs, parent groups, junior youth and children's clubs.  New areas of working, membership criterea and charges were agreed.

Killisick Community Event 20th March 2010

A Gedling Borough Council Partnership event. A chance for the community to come together for a day of activities, information and advice.  Local residents could get advice on training, health, housing, work in the area and community cohesion. 

We provided four activities, an encausic art workshop, egg decorating, making/decorating fruit people, and easter cards. Prior to the event our volunteers packed 250 reusable shopping bags with a selection of free fruit and vedge, this was funded through Gedling Borough Council.

Nottingham loves learning - Face painting workshops. Sunday, 14th Feb 2010

A day of family facepainting workshops with a story telling theme. The tutor was  Lynne Adger and participants were from our local community.   We painted faces, arms, hands, made puppets, learnt new skills and had fun. More family workshops have been requested.

Participants enjoyed the demonstrations, learning new skills and having fun.

Chinese New Year in the Park. Saturday 13th February 2010

We worked with Gedling Borough Council Leisure an Arts development and provided craft activities for 180 children and families. GBC provided an excellent facepainter and chinese story telling sessions.  We provided a mixture of activiies including lanterns, dragon callers (it worked one appeared) envelopes, fans, bouncy dragons, hats etc. We were supported by Ethel Swan from Fair play for children who helped the children make costumes. 

The day ended with over 100 people joining in with a lantern and dragon parade around the lake -Woodthorpe Guides did a great job in controlling the dragon. Thanks to all who helped make a great day.

Friends of Arnot Hill ,Park Christmas  Event  12th December 09 

We worked with Friends of Arnot Hill Park and Gedling Borough Council to provide families with a free afternoon of making Chrismas decorations, lanterns, bird feeders, beaded doves, snowflakes, stars  and table decorations.  Children could enter a winter wonderland and come out face painted.    Approx 130 people took part. We finished a a lantern parade around the lake, it finished at the play park when the banner bearers  took a detour into the play park. Children filled in wish stars with ideas for future events.

   Childrens christmas wishes, one of our activities.               After the sensory workshop, others still benefitted

Sensory Area Workshop - A Gedling Out of School Networking event Nov 28th

Vicki Moss, Childcare Development Worker Notts County Council, out of school team held a workshop for local after school care schemes.

Groups came to the Resource Centre to discover low cost ideas and tips on how to develop and build sensory areas within their settings.  The area was left up after the event and many other groups are still benefitting  from this training.

Winter Craft Workshops in our Resource Centre 14th November

Local play and childcare workers and their children came and took part in a day of workshops. From angels,wreathes, hats, xmas bird feeders to mice and gitterbugs. Participants could access the scrap store when inspiration took hold, we saw some spectacular creations.  

We received funding through Notts County Council Play Service, workshop leader Linda Cox, and from workers from Gedling Play Forum.         

       Making circuits - the first stage in bug making, bodymaterials from scrap store.  Winter crafts sessions, networking.

Friends of Arnot Hill Park Halloween Event. 31st October

A free afternoon of crafts, story telling, pumpkin carving, face painting, all finished off with a lantern parade around the lake.   Organised by Friends of Arnot Park, supported by Gedling Borough Council.

Our staff and volunteers provided a range of craft activities including banner making, owl shaped birdfeeders, lanterns, flying bats, hats.  Ethel Swann from Fair Play For Children helped the children make costumes.  The parade stretched around the lake. Over 100 bird feeders went to new homes.

 The Friends of Arnot Hill Park and Gedling Borough Council Leisure provided some excellent pumpkin carving, refreshments, story telling, face painting and parade marshalls.

The Friends Group funded an owl and bat die cutter, for this event and our members use.

Many thanks to Cllr Mel Shepard for helping us with funding for other die cutters and material costs.

We now have new owl, bat, spider,web, and christmas die cutters ( watch this space)for our members use. These have already been used by members, including pre schools, out of schools and faith groups.

 Using the die cutting machines. 100s of shapes were cut from a variety of materials from our scrap store, including fabrics, papers, foam, and wood. Some decorate the banner, the children, gardens etc.

 EYFS Coffee morning - organised by Vicki Moss, Childcare development worker from The Play Service, NottsCounty Council.

October. We made  our resource centre available to out of school groups to meet and share ideas.

We hope Vicki's Support  mornings will be held on a regular basis.

In responce to members requests we also invited PlayTraining Service from N.C.C. to bring information on the excellent Active Skills Training Passport scheme. This was a repeat visit and more playworkers were able to sign up for their free passport.

Open day and McMillan Coffee Morning

On Saturday October 3rd and in response to requests we opened our new centre to our community and held a coffee morning to support Mc Millan Nurses.  Visitors include Vernon Coaker MP, County Councillors Mel Sheppard and Rod Kempster and over 50 supporters. On the day a young visitor (age 7) made up gift bags using materials he found in the scrap  store and charged £1 a bag, he raised £9. Altogether we raised £153.

Gedling Show

on  Sunday 5th September we provided free play activities for families at this popular and successful event. Our activities were funded by Gedling Borough Council. We provided various craft activities including firebirds, boxes, bags, rockets, fish and ships. Our  staff and volunteers again worked wonders 

Opening of New Resource Centre at Wollaton Avenue Community Centre Gedling on 1st September 2009

Thanks to Gedling Borough Council we have an affordable home, with disabled access and parking.

We received funding from Boots Charitable Trust for some new shelving, this has made a huge difference to accessibility and has enabled us to make best use of the space available. We now have a training area again.  Our staff and volunteers worked very hard and moved every box, roll and tube.

In the first month we had over 160 visitors

Gedling Playday

On 12th August we worked with Nottinghamshire County Council, Play Service, Gedling Borough Council, Leisure Service and other community groups including Pop Divas and The Force to provide free play opportunities for local children. Over 5000 people joined us.

Our Play Forum activities included circus skills, table top crafts, rocket making and launching, We offered all children fresh fruit and water in exchange for filling in a quick questionnaire.

Notts County Council and Gedling Borough Leisure.

The Play Service ran a range of activities for children and young people, these included den making, pottery, wishes, painting and much more. See link to Gedlling Borough site for further details Link

We and other county Play Forums supplied free resources from our scrap stores for many organisations including NCC Play Service and PCT,  to support all county Play Days.

Closure of Arnold Resource Centre on 30th July 2009

Due to increases in overheads we had to find a new home. After 9 years in Arnold we closed our first scrapstore and resouce centre and moved to Gedling