Play Rangers

Free access play opportunities for children & young people in the local community

Doncaster Dome Play Rangers Project
The Play Rangers Project brings free access play opportunities to your local community for children and young people. The play rangers aim to meet the '3 Free's', this is an expectation of the Big Lottery Fund, funders of the project. 

• There is no charge for the sessions

• We come to your community play spaces

• It is open access, children can come and go when they choose

• Children freely chose how and what they play 

Parent/carers retain responsibility for their child

The Aim
The Aim of the project is to provide an environment where children and young people, between the ages of 5 and 16 (up to 24 if disabled) have the opportunities to experience play and new challenges in a way most of you will have done yourselves as children.

Children and young people with disabilities or learning difficulties are encouraged to join us. We hope that by having the Play Rangers present you will feel confident to let your children play out.

Play
Play, especially outdoor play, gives children the chance to be active, explore, challenge themselves, experience success and failure
and develop skills to manage risk and conflict. Research is showing that being outdoors is essential for children’s development of
language skills, memory, brain function, concentration, imagination, social and physical development and they are ill less often too!

Play Rangers
Play Rangers are play professionals, experienced and qualified, and committed to creating quality play opportunities. They all undergo suitability checks. The Play Rangers are not providing childcare, activity or sport sessions. They are there to encourage and empower the children to play freely by providing resources, managing risks and to give reassurance to parents and carers by being present.
Please be aware that sessions may need to be cancelled with little or no notice.

The Play Rangers will have a variety of materials and equipment in their van, much of this is items that allow flexibility of use and encourage imagination and creativity i.e. tyres, planks, sheets, cardboard boxes. Play Rangers aim to be at the sessions in all but the
most extreme weather so your child needs to be protected from the elements and suitably dressed for play as they are sure to get dirty!

If you have any questions come along to the session and talk to the play rangers, see what the children are doing and stay and have a ‘play’ yourself too. We are also looking for volunteers to support the project. In return for your commitment we can offer, those who
want it, opportunities to train and go on to gain a playwork qualification. Speak to the play rangers if you are interested in being an occasional or regular volunteer.

Funding
The play rangers scheme is Supported by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund. It is one of four projects supporting the implementation of Doncasters Play Strategy.