40 years of Play

PLAYBOARD NIMARKED ITS 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN 2025. AS PART OF CELEBRATING ITS MILESTONE OF CHAMPIONING CHILDREN’S RIGHT TO PLAY FOR FORTY DECADES, IT HOSTED A SPECIAL CONFERENCE IN BELFAST, TITLED “SPACES FOR PLAY, SPACES FOR CHILDHOOD”. PLAYNATION REPORTS THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CONFERENCE AND ALSO LOOKS THROUGH PLAYBOARD NI’S WORK THROUGHOUT THE YEARS

PlayBoard, Northern Ireland’s lead organisation for children’s play, has celebrated a major milestone as it marked its 40th anniversary with a flagship conference titled “Spaces for Play, Spaces for Childhood.” The event took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast on World Children’s Day (20th November 2025), drawing sectoral leaders, educators, policymakers and play practitioners from across Ireland and beyond.

The anniversary conference highlighted four decades of PlayBoard’s work advocating for the importance of play in children’s development and wellbeing. Presentations explored how play spaces can be designed, protected and enhanced to support healthy childhoods, particularly at a time when young people face increasing pressures from digital life, academic demands and reduced access to outdoor environments.

There were a wide range of speakers from across the UK, including Mike Greenaway from Play Wales; Marguerite Hunter Blair, former CEO of Play Scotland; Eugene Minogue from Play England and Michael Martin, lecturer and Director of Urban Design and Planning, University of Sheffield.

The speakers addressed issues including the need for child-centred urban planning, the role of play in mental health, and the challenges facing communities where safe and accessible play spaces are limited. The conference also reflected on the organisation’s long-term impact, from supporting play, playwork and policy development to delivering programmes that promote inclusive, creative, and freely chosen play.

Opening the event, Junior Minister Reilly and Junior Minister Bunting praised PlayBoard’s important work over the last four decades and reaffirmed their commitment to play.

The event provided delegates with an opportunity to reflect on past achievements, celebrate the many successes over the years, and, importantly, look ahead to the future. PlayBoard CEO Alan Herron paid tribute to the individuals, partnerships, communities, and above all the children who have helped shape – and been part of – PlayBoard’s remarkable journey.

“PlayBoard’s story is truly one of resilience, innovation and at times – sometimes too many times - sheer grit and determination. But above all, it is a story of purpose - ensuring every child has the opportunity to play, to thrive and to belong”.

Reflecting on the organisation’s history, delegates heard how PlayBoard in 2025 is, in many respects, a very different organisation from the one that first emerged in 1985. From small beginnings, PlayBoard has expanded to develop UK-wide, All-Ireland and international reach and influence - yet it remains firmly rooted in the core principles on which it was founded and is today recognised as the lead organisation for play in Northern Ireland.

Through high-quality programmes delivered in communities, schools, School Aged Childcare settings, and youth environments, PlayBoard continues to lead the way in embedding play-based approaches that support children, young people, and families.

It is an organisation that champions play – and the transformative power of play – as a vital contributor to physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing; to education and learning; to social development; and, perhaps most importantly, to the essence of childhood itself.

PlayBoard has concentrated on advancing the realisation of every child’s right to play, with a particular emphasis on inclusive play

Four decades of PlayBoard

Looking back over the past four decades, a clear pattern emerges in PlayBoard’s evolution. In its first decade, the organisation grew from its community roots to establish itself as a key part of the wider children’s sector, championing understanding of play and its vital importance.

As PlayBoard continued to expand, its influence deepened. The organisation spearheaded the development of the play sector in Northern Ireland, helping to build capacity at local level.

With an increasing recognition of the value of play—coupled with a more stable political landscape—the organisation shifted its focus towards influencing policy and advocating for stronger strategic recognition of play.

In the past ten years, PlayBoard has concentrated on advancing the realisation of every child’s right to play, with a particular emphasis on inclusive play, alongside continued innovation in programme development and delivery.

Founded in 1985, PlayBoard was born from a very simple but powerful idea: That play mattered - not as an afterthought, but as something fundamental to children and young people’s lives.

The organisation emerged at a time of enormous social and political challenge in Northern Ireland. Communities were fractured. Opportunities for children were limited and “play” was rarely seen as a priority in public discourse. PlayBoard provided an independent voice and an advocate for play.

And yet, even then, the founders of PlayBoard recognised something vital: that play could be a unifying force, a connector driving community relations and a way to restore childhood in places where childhood had been disrupted.

Those early years were about working with communities, listening deeply to the challenges children faced, and responding to real need through community-based play initiatives and local partnerships – and these in many ways became the beating heart of PlayBoard’s work over the years to come.

Those foundations matter because everything PlayBoard is today still rests on that early belief: That every child deserves the right to play, regardless of who they are or where they live.

1985 to 1994: building community through play

Building on those early foundations, PlayBoard’s first decade was defined by community empowerment and community voice. PlayBoard worked to provide access to safe, engaging play spaces and play opportunities – which, for many children, introduced new types and forms of play experiences, while offering opportunities to build new friendships across traditional barriers through play.

The organisation set standards and provided support, often unifying what had been fragmented efforts and bringing professional credibility to what had often been viewed as an informal (and therefore, to many, unimportant) activity. At this time PlayBoard became an early policy voice - arguing that play was not just a “nice-to-have” but a social necessity, especially in communities dealing with the impacts of deprivation and conflict. This period sowed the seeds of PlayBoard’s leadership role. Not just a deliverer of programmes, but as a driver of change.

The most recent decade has been one of ambition, complexity, and innovation

1995 to 2004: building a sector, building capacity

The second decade marked somewhat of a shift as PlayBoard’s capacity and influence grew. PlayBoard led EU investment programmes focused on Play based School Age Childcare – securing €20 million through the PlayCare Initiative in recognition of the sector’s value to parents – a value which remains as relevant today as it did then. Funding supported the creation, expansion and stabilisation of School Age Childcare settings across rural, urban and disadvantaged communities.

With the growth of a skilled play-based workforce came the need for standards and support as PlayBoard helped nurture the playwork profession and broaden understanding of the value of play. And it was during this period that engagement with play at a policy level intensified, helping to lay the foundations for future policy development and contributing to a growing body of local research demonstrating the benefits of play.

This era established the essential infrastructure–the skills, the knowledge, and the workforce–that continues to sustain our sector today. PlayBoard was no longer simply supporting play; it was building play.

2005 to 2014: play as a driver of cohesion

The next decade unfolded against the backdrop of a society emerging from conflict. Northern Ireland was changing - and with it, the role of play was evolving too. PlayBoard understood something profound: play could be a driver of cohesion, a mechanism for healing, connection and social transformation. PlayBoard influenced public debate and shaped programmes that fostered shared spaces and shared experiences for children through play.

Strategic engagement with Government led to the securing of the NI Play Policy Statement in 2006, followed by the Play and Leisure Implementation Plan in 2011. Meanwhile, cross-community and cross-border initiatives were delivered driving cross-community understanding through play, demonstrating that play could succeed in breaking down barriers where other approaches struggled.

The organisation championed the view that play is far more than recreation–it is developmental, social, cultural, and political– implementing approaches grounded in inclusion, rights, and empowerment.

2015 to 2025: rights, inclusion and innovation

The most recent decade has been one of ambition, complexity, and innovation for PlayBoard. Children’s lives have changed dramatically. Technology, urbanisation, changing family patterns, educational pressures, and now artificial intelligence are reshaping childhood.

PlayBoard has consistently championed the child’s right to play as enshrined in Article 31 of the UNCRC. It has strengthened strategic partnerships with councils securing more than £15m worth of investment in local play spaces, while enhancing design standards and prioritising play value and inclusion. It also secured recognition of play in the Children and Young People’s 10-Year strategy and delivered a key transformational programme with the Department of Education – Play Matters.

Elsewhere, it developed and established effective school programmes, including ‘Positive PlayGrounds’ and ‘Taking Outdoor Play Seriously (TOPS)’ Quality Assurance Award. In partnership with Mae Murray Foundation, it also undertook NI-based research, ultimately driving the development of a UK Statement on Inclusive Play and co-designed the ADAPT Framework, supporting inclusive play park development at local council level.

Playboard NI:

The sixth truths & learnings

PlayNation asked PlayBoard NI to look back across four decades of its work and to list its biggest learnings. It responded with six “truths”, which it says have become “unmistakably clear”. “These lessons, drawn from experience, partnership, community, and evidence, form the foundation on which PlayBoard stands today. They will continue to guide the organisation as it shapes the next decade of play in Northern Ireland. Despite 40 years of work, much remains to be done. It is clearer than ever that play underpins many of the core outcomes the Northern Ireland Executive is seeking to achieve.”

1 Every child has the instinct to play; it is woven into who they are. Yet not every child enjoys the same opportunities. Geography continues to shape children’s experiences; poverty limits choice; a lack of inclusion restricts opportunities based on ability; and fear – of traffic, strangers, or simply unsafe spaces – restricts freedom. Over 40 years we have seen how unequal access to play mirrors wider inequalities in society. And this is something we cannot ignore.

2 Early work showed that when communities take ownership – when play is not “delivered to” them but built with them – children flourish. Top–down approaches, no matter how well intentioned, can only go so far. Real, lasting change comes when parents, volunteers, local leaders, and children themselves shape their own play landscape.

3 When government chooses to prioritise play, investment follows, environments improve, and outcomes for children strengthen. Conversely, when play slips down the agenda, opportunities shrink and children feel the impact. Play is not peripheral; it is central to healthy childhoods. That is why advocacy remains at the heart of PlayBoard’s mission.

4 Playwork and childcare professionals are too often the unsung heroes of children’s daily lives. They hold the skills, insight and passion that turn ordinary moments into transformative experiences. Yet they face ongoing financial pressures, recruitment challenges, and undervaluation. If we want high-quality play opportunities, we must invest in the people who make them possible.

5 Children understand their own wellbeing more clearly than we often assume. Our strongest evidence, most impactful programmes, and best ideas have been shaped – if not sparked – by listening directly to them. Their honesty, creativity and perspective have guided PlayBoard for 40 years, and must continue to do so.

6 PlayBoard is trusted because we speak with one clear voice – the voice of children. Not bound by departmental priorities, political cycles, or commercial interests, PlayBoard’s responsibility is singular: to champion the right to play. That independence has enabled PlayBoard to challenge, to innovate, and to lead when others could not.