Playing Out
banner
playingout.bsky.social
Playing Out
@playingout.bsky.social
We campaign for children's everyday freedom and right to play out near home. Founders of the UK-wide play street movement. www.playingout.net
Let’s seize this moment for children’s outdoor play!
FREE lunchtime webinar, Weds 3 Dec 12.30-1.30pm

Hear from Cllrs @rezinachowdhury.bsky.social and @edwardlamb.bsky.social on the bolder actions councils can take to restore children's outdoor play.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/restoring-...
Restoring children's freedom to play out: let's seize the moment
Society is waking up to children's right and need to play out; councils and orgs around the UK are taking action, come and get inspired !
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 22, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
Lots of posts with comments about the proposed two-hour screen limit/curfew for children and young people are popping up in my timeline, all saying the same thing:

Invest in places for C&YP to play and hang out in.
July 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
This is wonderful news! Exactly what we've been wanting to happen. Enormous gratitude to @edwardlamb.bsky.social and Wirral Council for leading the way for other councils to follow!!
On Monday night at Wirral Council, we unanimously passed my @wirralgreenparty.bsky.social motion to support more welcoming, child-friendly neighbourhoods and a proper strategy to promote outdoor play. 🌱🚲🏃‍♀️

A small step — but a meaningful one. Here’s a short thread. 🧵👇
July 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
If you live in Dublin and would like to organise a Play Street for your street / area for World Car Free Day, you can read all about the UK experience of how to do it informally here via @playingout.bsky.social: playingout.net/play-streets...

#d7playstreets
July 8, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
Children have as much right to their streets as drivers. There is no legal basis for them being shoed off streets. And I have no doubt that cars - moving and parked - cause a nuisance for children.

This is extraordinarily depressing from Manchester City Council.

@playingout.bsky.social
Grim messaging from Manchester City Council 👀
July 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Any organisation that exists to support children cannot remain silent in the face of this genocide. Our Government must end its complicity and take meaningful action against Israel *right now*. #StopKillingChildren
"We're still in a situation where a classroom full of children are dying every day...We need to see more tangible action from governments to end this" - Hratche Koundarjian, our Head of Communications and Campaigns, spoke to @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social outside Westminster yesterday.

[1/2]
July 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Last weekend in Bristol, children on bikes took over their city centre! They were seen and heard. They had a blast.

But the aim of #KidicalMass is also serious. This is not the everyday norm. Children across the UK need #SafeStreetsNow.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLtA...
Bristol Kidical Mass 2025 (with EN subtitles)
YouTube video by Bristol Cycling
www.youtube.com
June 21, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
Off to the launch of the Play Commission final report this morning - will be absorbing the report and its recommendations on the train, but pleased to see strong arguments for child-friendly neighbourhoods.

@playingout.bsky.social
June 11, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
Today is International Day of Play.

As Ingrid Skeels - @playingout.bsky.social - says below: "we have to make the outside world a place children can play in real life."

Instead of debating road "closures", we should be *opening* our streets so more children can play on the streets where they live.
June 11, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
I always saying opening a street for play is magical, often not spectacular, but the ordinary magic that Stuart Lester talks about. No wonder those who try it want more.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...
Residents of street where cars banned for kids to play say 'make it permanent'
The road, near a city primary school, was temporarily closed down to all forms of traffic
www.birminghammail.co.uk
June 7, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Ladies Mile is a totally unnecessary road cutting across Bristol’s biggest public greenspace - The Downs - making it unsafe for kids. It was closed to cars for the day yesterday and what a change! Let’s make this permanent. @edplowden.bsky.social @robbryher.bsky.social @bristol247.bsky.social
May 19, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
On my way into work this morning I saw this, on a rare “home zone” in Bristol, where cars do not have priority.

Imagine the time and energy this must have taken! Imagine the sense of belonging, of “my space, my street, my community”. Imagine if all children had this. @playingout.bsky.social
May 19, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Bristol folk - join us for #KidicalMass 2025! A family-friendly city-centre protest ride calling for safer streets for children and everyone. Come on bikes, scooters, skateboards or roller-skates! Castle Park bandstand from 11am, Saturday 14th June. www.facebook.com/events/10929...
May 8, 2025 at 11:37 AM
“No-one buying a car would want to put children at greater risk”. Surely. www.standard.co.uk/news/transpo... @olord.bsky.social #SUVAlliance
'Supersize SUVs much more likely to cause fatal injury to cyclists and pedestrians'
Sports utility vehicles account for more than half of new cars bought in UK
www.standard.co.uk
April 30, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
It’s not often you see MPs, one after another, standing up & calling for safe streets where children can 🚲🚶🏾🛴 🤸 without fear of being killed. Hats off to @ollyglover.bsky.social and all. #SafeStreetsNow @playingout.bsky.social parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...
Parliamentlive.tv
Westminster Hall
parliamentlive.tv
April 30, 2025 at 8:08 AM
👇👇👇
Why are children not playing in the street? An FT piece analysing the - very concerning - decline in outdoor play manages to look at every possible cause: screens, spaces, school timetable changes. Apart from one.

Cars.

It is simply not safe for kids to play outside on streets.
April 19, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
Doing some planning for @playingout.bsky.social's next Play Streets Forum, where the focus will be on the campaign against "No Ball Games" signs, as part of the wider campaign for children's doorstep play, so a reminder of the petition - please sign and share: chng.it/B6nJ7XVKvn
April 16, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
Why don’t kids get off their phones and play in the streets like we did?
Florida Sheriff hits child with his car in order to arrest him for riding his bike in the street

www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/04/01/v...
April 2, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Reposted by Playing Out
It’s Sunday! This might well be the most MASSIVE Kidical Mass London yet - join us! It is going to be amazing! Thank you so much @ibikelondon.bsky.social @mumsforlungs.bsky.social @cleancitiescampaign.org @zeroemissions.bsky.social
and everyone else who has been sharing details of this ride!
March 21, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
5 years on, we need to remember how badly children were let down in the pandemic - and resolve to make it right. @playingout.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/alice-...
How Covid changed children in Britain | Alice Ferguson
It was not only school closures. In England, children were also prevented from playing outside with friends - even when pubs were open for adults to socialise.…
www.linkedin.com
March 21, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Playing Out
As a former Lambeth resident, it’s great to see this campaign gaining momentum! 🏀⚽️ Removing 'No Ball Games' signs is an important step towards creating a child-friendly borough where every child can feel part of their community, stay active, enjoy playing with friends, and be happy!
March 18, 2025 at 11:38 AM
"No Ball Games. No Freedom. No Hope....Not any more". (58sec film by Saatchi & Saatchi using their advertising power for good). #MoreBallGames #RightToPlay www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exxd...
More Ball Games
YouTube video by London Sport
www.youtube.com
March 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM
“No Ball Games” signs make children unwelcome on their own doorstep, contributing to isolation and inactivity. It’s time for them to go. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Yes, ball games: drive to take down signs warning against play begins in London
Charity says thousands of signs on capital’s estates deter children from being active, and is covering some of them up
www.theguardian.com
March 18, 2025 at 8:54 AM