Involved in Play? Are 'we' asking the right questions?

I wonder, are we asking ourselves, our colleagues and eachother questions that might lead to valuable insights, creative breakthroughs and ultimately, more desirable outcomes?/p>

Just maybe, if we were to start projects with the ‘right’ questions then we might explore with a childlike curiosity and consequently discover unexplored potential and opportunity.

For example; in the small (but important) world of Indoor Play provision, how often do we ask:

• How can Play Centres and Play Equipment support children in their inherent quest for discovery and exploration?
• What is the role of parents when they visit Indoor Play Centres and how do we provide a rewarding experience for all participants (including staff)?
• Is there a way that we can provide an individual and unique Play Experience for each and every child that visits a Play Centre?
• What is the role in the Community of our Indoor Play Centres and how can we best fulfil and expand that role?
• How do children play naturally and what does this teach us?
• What is the role of technology in the Play Experiences of the future?
• What would it mean for society as a whole if we could design Play Experiences that help children to grow into self-confident and anxiety-free adults?

Typically, I fear that our questions are focussed too narrowly on short-term needs and swayed by self-interest. It is easier for us all to base decisions and formulate ideas on what already exists rather than taking a step back and asking the questions beyond which may lie opportunity beyond expectations.

At Shareandcompareplay.com, we believe that these are challenges faced by all organisations that interact with families and that finding solutions requires a collaborative process.

As a first step, we will continue to post questions and comments using the #WIGU call sign on Twitter or you can comment below. Whatever your interest, if you care about Children and / or the Future of Play, please think of your questions and participate by sharing your questions, comments or answers to questions asked by others.

Shareandcompareplay.com is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison website.

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The play inspector calls.....part 6

There are some advantages to working from home. There is also a downside! The office is always but a few steps away and both business telephone line and computer work on regardless. Finding a balance between home life and work commitments can be a stiff test. Fortunately I seem to get it right most of the time. At least that is my story but I think Veronica would concur. Hope so!

Inspection jobs started up immediately after Easter. So close in fact that the first one in Keighley needed to be combined with saying goodbye to family at Manchester Airport. Convenient geographically at least.

Wednesday: Post installation inspection. A large new extension to an existing and clearly very popular play centre. Very good to see business success leading to an expansion of a facility especially during this severe economic downturn. And a new team leader appointment seemingly working so well there. The owner seemed very pleased and certainly she appeared to me to have the right range of organisational and team management skills during our brief encounter. So very important staffing and staff management. Now that the design, manufacture and installation of these indoor play facilities has markedly improved over the last 20 years their safety more and more depends upon the operational systems in place and how well they are applied. And that comes down to staff and their management. Get that right and everything else falls into place.

Thursday: Today I’m heading for a Sure Start children’s centre in Greater Manchester. And quite the smallest multi-level indoor play frame I have ever inspected! Tucked into an alcove in a community play room it almost resembled a rather deep bookcase! Certainly it tested my own climbing capabilities. Must lose weight! Unknown supplier and an interesting use of perforated plastic panelling instead of mesh netting. Some repairs and maintenance needed and these were identified and photographed for my Report.

Monday: The first of two trips this week to Ireland. That means a very early start to get to East Midland Airport on time for the BMI Baby morning flight to Belfast International. But it doesn't stop there for the job is almost on the Donegal coast way over to the west. Breathtakingly beautiful journey along generally quiet roads and the drive through the Glenveagh National Park was stunning, a wilderness landscape so remote and so hauntingly beautiful. New play centre located in a health club that is itself located within an impressive hotel. Already in use whilst I was there and a small child found my clipboard and Biro whilst I was inspecting a horizontal roller squeeze and when I got back to it to make notes it had been totally scribbled upon! Occupational hazard - force a smile and press on!

Wednesday: An even earlier start for an even earlier flight this time by RyanAir to Dublin. And if that’s not enough there’s the morning traffic into the city! Only 45 minutes to the site I had been told! Well, two and a half hours after touch-down I was walking through the new play centre’s front door! But a great new site and a lovely client to do business with. He makes good coffee too!

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

The play inpector calls...part 5

The inspection pace that hotted up during March shows little sign of abating, at least pre-Easter. Since my last blog I have carried out four inspections: a new indoor facility in a huge shopping centre needing its post-installation check, followed by a large established play centre in County Durham needing its annual inspection. Then quite the smallest community play centre I have ever had to annually inspect down in Essex and today to north London for yet another annual.

There may not be as many post-installations coming through as credit tightens but the demand for annuals remains. And so it should since the value of a yearly independent check must surely make good sense to all safety-conscious operators and if it doesn’t one really has to question their business judgement. If for no other reason the insurers back it and sometimes with reduced premiums.

Another interesting detail – four facilities and four different suppliers. I like variety.

Tuesday: A job in Sheffield followed the next day by another further north-east makes an overnight stop inviting. And as my wife’s Austrian family are over for a break an opportunity for them to do a little shopping and sightseeing whilst I get myself dusty! Finding a play centre in a busy shopping centre is always a challenge. Turn left along the mall then right at the next junction and down the escalator and you can’t miss it! Sensing my doubts the Customer Services Manager comes to my rescue and suddenly there it is. Easy really! The view from the top of the escalator is really something! This must be a prime location! A few last minute installation jobs are being finished off but in I go. There is always a value in arriving on site whilst the installation team are still there. Last minute queries arise from them and safety issues found by myself can be immediately addressed. And so they are. On to York. A beautiful historical city and a pleasure to introduce for the first time to visitors from abroad.

Wednesday: Family stay on in York whilst I hit the A1 north. Target Newton Aycliffe. SatNav works perfectly and I am guided to the front door. Very big site and how good to see a large toddler’s play frame with so much choice and play value packed into it. So often there is all too little. Certainly there is adventure and challenge at this Centre with drop slides, bungee trampolines and a climbing wall all vying for the older children’s attention in addition to the more regular features. Very helpful and hospitable Assistant Manager helped to make the job a pleasure.

Saturday: Yes Saturday! I sometimes work weekends when it is necessary at it was that day. A very small and cosy play centre for the lower age range and in the heart of a more rural Essex community. Clearly much appreciated by the local clientele and it was good to be able to pass on some advice to the two hard-working and very committed sisters who run the business.

Tuesday: A job in north London and close to a tube station makes rail travel from Stafford impossible to resist. And the trains ran on time both ways! Is this a first? Last went there in 2006 and it was good to see the facility still well used and being enjoyed. As usual followed around the play frame by a multitude of enquiring children. Feel like the Pied Piper of Hamlin sometimes! How many times do I have to say “I’m carrying out a safety inspection”? A husband and wife team own the business and both have very responsible and demanding first jobs in their community, one in health care and the other in the prison service. You have to admire their energy and commitment.

Looking forward to an Easter break now. Catch up with me again after that.

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

The play inspector calls.....part 3

Inspection calls are rather like buses; you can wait for ages for one to come along and then suddenly many arrive in quick succession! It was so quiet from November through to February. Just fifteen jobs over a four-month period. I really thought the credit crunch was beginning to hit the UK indoor play industry big time. And then March! Eleven jobs done as I write this piece with three more to do before the end of the month. The types of inspections are very evenly split with seven post-installations and seven annuals. Good to have some variety it keeps the mind sharp. Last week it was four on the South Coast; this week has started with two in the North East. Today it’s the East Midlands, tomorrow the West Midlands. It’s a wonder my car doesn’t get dizzy!

Back to last week. I thought it was going to start with an inspection on the Wednesday but suddenly the call came through that this was postponed. Not to worry. A very welcome extra 24 hours to get over the Bangkok jetlag!

Thursday: Driving almost due south from my home in Stafford to a play centre that has become something of a regular for me over the years. I first inspected it way back in July 1994. Little did I realize then that I would still be climbing its frames and trudging my way through its ball pools in March 2009! In fact the number of past reports in my bulging file shows this one to be the 28th. It must hold the national record for the highest number of my inspection visits. Still, the fact that it continues to give good service in a busy seaside resort and against competition from a growing number of more modern play centres in the area must say something. It does. It is always well staffed with a well-led highly motivated team backed by very good management. Vital ingredients if a play centre is going to survive and prosper. Others take note.

On to the next job and this time not far to motor. An interesting and impressively large Play Centre designed, manufactured and installed by a Chinese company. Having carried out its post-installation inspection last year I was keen to see how it was getting on. A very positive first year of trading was reported and the play frame and equipment was standing up well to the rigours of many tiny feet. Again it soon became clear that its success was due in no small measure to the drive, energy and sheer commitment of its General Manager. Staff selection working well.

Forty miles down the coast and I was able to get job number three in on the same day. I’ll sleep well tonight! Another Play Centre of the same chain as the last one and again of Chinese origin. This time built in 2007. Very similar story. The fabric of the facility looking good and the Centre being very ably led. Another successful year of business reported.

Finally I need a bed. But have you ever tried to park your car in Brighton? I lost count of the number of circuits I made of the sea front before opting to stay overnight in a hotel with its own underground car park. A very hot Indian curry was eagerly sought. I felt I had earned it.

Friday: A shortish journey to the last job of the week. A play centre built by a British company in 2006. Some wear and tear found and there was a need to tighten up on a few operational procedures but no big safety issues. Three hours later I am heading home via the M25 and through Friday afternoon traffic! No need for speed cameras – portrait painters can do the job! A weekend of Report writing looms. Must keep on top.

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

The play inpector calls...part 2

As heralded in last week’s blog, the last 7 days have been extraordinary! They started in London with the latest scheduled Standardisation Review meeting and then on to Bangkok to inspect Thailand’s first indoor play and party centre for children and their families. I get something of a glimpse of what it must be like to be an international business tycoon and quite a contrast in temperature after this long cold winter in the UK.

Monday: British Rail to London and then the familiar tube journey to Gunnersbury, home of the British Standards Institution. The publication of the European Standard for indoor play last year gave rise to an assumption in the industry that our own BS8409:2002 Soft Indoor Play Areas – Code of Practice would be rendered obsolete. It is normal for a British Standard to be removed when superseded by a European Norm. I for one was not prepared to accept that. Yes any conflicting data with the European Standard would need to be surgically removed but there would remain much sound operational advice within the British Standard that I believed deserved to remain on the table. I therefore applied to BSI for a revision of BS8409 and my proposal was accepted last autumn. I selected a Committee to assist in that redrafting purpose and offered representation to: The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII), the Play Providers Association (PPA), RoSPA, the Association of Play Industries Indoor Play Section (API) and The Play Inspection Company (TPIC). So far we have had three very hard-working and positive meetings and are well on schedule for completing the project this year. Watch this space!

Tuesday: Final preparations for Thailand then off to Manchester for the long-haul flight broken only by a change of plane in Abu Dhabi. I know a good supplier of sand!

Wednesday: The longest immigration procedure I have ever endured at Bangkok airport. The queuing seemed to last for hours - everyone on the plane had to be photographed. Finally made it to my hotel and established client contact. There was he said “good news and bad news”. The good news was that I had arrived to help and advise him; the bad news was that the installation was taking longer than expected and the job therefore was unfinished. Not to worry. I reassured him that much useful work could and would be done.

Thursday/Friday: On site. Met the installation team - three from UK supported by Thai labour. The locals had clearly picked up what for them were new skills very quickly and all seemed to be working very well together on this British supplied product. Established priorities and objectives for my work. To my surprise a cable TV crew arrived with other free-lance journalists all wanting video footage and interviews. This was after all the first project of its kind in the country and to them very newsworthy. Worked and sweated hard carrying out both inspection and consultancy tasks broken only by much eating of Thai food, drinking litres of bottled water and much needed showers and sleep.

Saturday: Mission accomplished. A very good play centre in prospect and they might be interested in a twinning arrangement with a UK play centre. Any offers? Hopefully the jet lag will not last too long since I have 4 South Coast inspections to carry out next week. A more usual long-haul for this much travelled play inspector!

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.

The Inspector Calls...

After months of relative winter inactivity the phone begins to ring. Five inspections in six days! Greater Manchester, Essex, Greater London, The Lake District and the west coast of Ireland. North, South, East and West! My latest workhorse of a car is certainly being run-in!

The inspections have their own variations. Each from a different supplier - four UK companies and one from across the big pond. Different design, manufacturing and installation techniques, but generally the quality is there. There have been huge improvements in the product over the last 16 years. I like to believe all the work I have put into helping create independent safety guidelines and British and European Standards for the industry has paid off.

Then there are the types of inspections - two Post-Installations, two Annuals and one that is a bit of both. What a difference inspecting empty play frames and those teeming with kids! “Can you give me a lift down mister?” Under no circumstances!

Friday: A five year old Play Centre still giving good service in a downtown location. Discussed issues of fire safety both in the design and in the need for fire safety systems. The need to be able to get everyone out inside 2½ minutes is very real for all Centres. It’s the smoke that kills.

Monday: Spanking new Centre and with a vintage United States Fire Engine in pristine condition set to transport children to the Play Centre for Parties. How cool is that!

Second job: Arrived to find installation work continuing – never easy but able to pick up on some safety issues with the installation team on site to address them so useful work done.

Wednesday: One year old Play Centre having its first Annual. Immaculate condition. Gave some training on indoor play to a work colleague grounded in outdoor playgrounds. Big differences found – like you get a hot drink on arrival!

Thursday: Short flight to the peat bogs of Ireland. Very impressive new build in a brand new leisure complex – once we had dredged our way through the mud to get inside among the hard hats!

Next week will be very different. An important BSI revising committee for British Standard BS8409 to Chair and just one post-installation inspection. Not much travelling? Wrong! The job is 6,000 miles away in Bangkok. It’s a hard life!

Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.