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| First Name: | Katy Peacock |
| Job Title: | Play Development Worker |
| Joined in: | 2003 |
| Motto: | What time is it? |
Kate joined the Forest Bus in the first instance as a student on placemnet in 1999, and returned to work for the Forest Bus at the end of 2000. In her role Kate has worked in consultation with children and young people to improve play facilities in their communities. These local areas were recognised as rurally isolated with no access to play facilities, so Kate’s role as Play Development Worker (funded by the Children’s Fund) was to find out their play needs and develop their ideas into action.
The results showed that two communities needed new play areas - so they were designed by the children and young people and funding was gained to build the play areas in 2006 and 2007. They have been very successful since their implementation. Kate recorded the children’s views through media such as, photo’s, consultation boards, interactive workshops such as puppet shows, and video. Kate worked on a video documentary over the years and this has been edited which shows the process from start to finish. Kate is now working on a bigger play project to design with young people, play areas on three of the Gypsy sites in Hampshire where childrena dn young people have limited access to play.
In January 2008, the Big Lottery funded us with money to buy a new play van and to staff this new project for four years. Kate’s role in this is to carry out consultation with the communities with whom we work and to feed their ideas into the design of the new vehicle, which we hope to have by mid October 08. The project will continue with the delivery of innovative play sessions in the New Forest and Hampshire.
In August 08, Kate completed her qualification in training the trainer. Kate is beginning her final year at the University of Winchester, where she is undertaking a foundation degree in Community Development. She is also studying to be a play therapist.
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