Playtime gets back to basics at Westbury Leigh

Westbury Leigh Primary School has officially opened its new scrap store Playpod.

Parents were invited into the school on Monday 14th September to see the unveiling of the Playpod.

The Playpod is an interactive pod that is fully loaded with a mix of junk materials donated from local business and collected through the scrap store’s normal routine of recycling scrap material to be used safely as play things.

This includes items such as cable rolls, bread trays, rope, thick cardboard tubes and old tyres. The Playpod has revolutionised the children’s playtimes by igniting a spark in their imaginative play.

Midday supervisory assistant, Mrs Collins said, “It has been wonderful to see how imaginative the children have been with the scrap; there have been lots of dens built and a tyre swing made.”

Kai, aged 9 said, “The playground has improved lots and there are many amazing things to play with.”

Headteacher Debbie Grimsey said, ‘It’s refreshing to see children eager to use their imaginations.  We are seeing children coming together regardless of age, to create some amazing role plays from the scrap.”

Westbury Leigh Primary School received a grant for £10,000 from the Big Lottery and £5,000 from Westbury Local Area Board to finance this project.

The school is working alongside Cygnets Pre-School to ensure as many children as possible benefit from the play opportunities the Playpod supports.  They invited parents to the official opening to find out more about how the Playpod will support their child’s creative play.  The Playpod will also be available for wider community groups to use.