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Simon Haddock - Chairman Yorkshire Play
Simon has been involved in play in some form since 1991 when he set up a charity in Scotland working to support inclusive
play environments for children with special needs. He has since been working across Scotland and England in the provision
of play and active leisure. He currently works in York, as a member of the Play Team, with responsibility for a number of
projects as well as looking at the strategic direction of their work and play in the future.
It is also his great pleasure to be the current Chair of Yorkshire Play. He has a real passion for play and playwork and the
very real benefits it has for children and thoroughly enjoys working with such a dedicated and knowledgeable group of
Directors.
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Mark Gladwin - Vice Chair Yorkshire Play
Mark’s playwork career began in 1981 at York Playspace, where for 15 years he organised playschemes and after school
clubs, ran a play resource centre, and developed playwork training. During this time, the Woodcraft Folk was a key part
of his professional development. In 1996 he moved to the Children’s Society in Leeds, where he developed tools for children’s
participation in play-centred quality assurance for out of school clubs. This work led to a commission from the Children's
Play Information Service in 2004 to write a factsheet on "Consulting Children about Play". Since 2002, Mark has
been Play Officer (Participation) at Bradford Early Years, Childcare and Play Service, where he has researched and written
two successive editions of the Bradford District play strategy, “All To Play For”.
Mark has been active for many years in playwork education and training. From 1993 to 1995 he was a part time lecturer
in playwork at Leeds Metropolitan University. From 1995 to 2000 he served on the executive of JNCTP, latterly as co-chair.
Mark has also practised as a qualified Assessor, Internal Verifier and External Verifier for NVQs in playwork. In 1997 he
became a founder trustee, and has since become Chair of Directors, of a third sector playwork training centre in
North Yorkshire, now known as Activ8 Learning.
In 2006, Mark was awarded a Masters by Research degree from Leeds Metropolitan University for a study of children’s
attitudes to risk in play. This piece of work led to conference presentations, for example at IPA in Berlin in 2005
and PlayEd in Wolverhampton in 2007, and to commissions for chapters on risk in two Open University student texbooks,
"Foundations of playwork" and "Promoting children's wellbeing: policy and practice".
Mark has a longstanding commitment to networking and representative organisations for play and playwork in the Yorkshire
and Humber region. From 1982 to 2000, he was active in various roles in the now defunct Yorkshire and Humberside Play
Association. He was involved in moves to create the new organisation, Yorkshire Play, in 2005, and is a founder Director
and Company Secretary. In an individual capacity, he is currently a co-opted member of the Play England Strategic
Advisory Board.
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Robin Sutcliffe
Robin is Chairman of Sutcliffe Play Ltd, world leading designers and manufacturers of inclusive playground equipment.
Robin gained his Architectural Association Diploma in 1967 and added a DMS Course in Management Studies from
Regent Street Polytechnic over the following two years. From 1970 to 1973 he was closely involved with the founding of the
Solon Housing Association, the first co-operative housing association to be controlled by its tenants and workers, and to
employ its own architects.
Robin cares deeply about the many, often controversial issues surrounding children's play and is a significant authority
representing his industry at regional, national and international levels, as an expert on the safety of children at play, the topics
of inclusivity and risk in the playground, play space design, and community consultation programmes.
Sutcliffe Play was a founder member of the Association of Play Industries. A former Chairman, Robin now represents the
Association on the Children's Play Policy Forum and Chairs the National Play Safety Forum. He represented the UK during
the writing of the European Standard for play equipment. Currently he is involved in developing Yorkshire Play, a regional
Association set up to improve the quality of play in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. A founder member and Vice
President of the Federation of European Play Industries (FEPI), he also chairs F.E.P.I.’s safety committee - the European
Safety Forum. F.E.P.I.’s aim is to bring together companies from the play sector right across Europe to improve the quality
of children’s play experience. Since 1989 Robin has Chaired the Square Chapel Trust, a voluntary organisation which
he and his friends formed to save the Georgian redbrick Chapel in Halifax from collapse and demolition. The Trust has
seen the Chapel transformed into a community based small/mid scale Performing Arts Centre.
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Peter Cunningham
Peter's main job is with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, where he currently manage a small team looking
after the outdoor children’s play areas in Rotherham, and he has over 20 years experience in this field. He first started
working for Rotherham in 1978 as a gardener in the Parks Services Section. In 1982 he moved into the office to
administer the incentive bonus scheme. Then following the compulsory competitive tendering process, which local
authorities had to go through in 1986, he was offered the role to look after the repairs to all the premises within the
Amenities and Recreation Department, and all the play equipment and allotments in Rotherham. This post has since
been restructured and is now in its current format of Play Development Officer. Peter is also chair of the Yorkshire
Playgrounds Officers Group. This group was formed over ten years ago with the four councils in South Yorkshire,
and now consists of local government officers throughout Yorkshire (and beyond) who undertake a similar role and
who meet two or three times per year to share knowledge and experience.
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Jane Whittaker
Jane has been in childcare for the last seventeen years, starting off as a casual Playworker/creche assistant for
Harrogate Borough Council, moving into early years in a pre-school then development worker for Pre-school
Learning Alliance, she was a partner in another pre-school until 2005 when she started back at Harrogate
Borough Council as Play Development Officer.
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Chris Snell
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Peter Lamb
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Becky Johnson
I have always been a strong advocate for high quality experiences for children and their families, having started my career
in Early Years I was exposed and committed to the value of play. As my career progressed and I spent time working in Italy
and Hong Kong I became more aware of the wider play picture and the cultural differences. Returning to the UK in 2005,
with a 6 year old and 1 year old I became acutely aware of the lack of children on our streets, the growing perception that
children were in danger if allowed out of the sight of a parent and the lack of play provision in many areas. It was this growing
passion that lead me to sit on Calderdale Council’s Play Steering Group, where I was actively involved in the development of
their strategy and their BLF application.
Eureka! also picked up on this passion and my role changed from Early Years Manager to Play and Learning Director. I am
now responsible for developing and leading on the implementation of initiatives and programmes which support learning
through play, both internally and externally. This includes identifying and working with organisations and partners which
contribute to our understanding of the importance of play and which support our long term objectives within informal
learning settings. We have recently become the first museum to offer a cross sector module to university students on play.
This was developed in conjunction with the Playwork team and the Childhood Studies team at Leeds Metropolitan University.
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Marianne Lownsborough
Marianne is a Director of Playscape Training and is responsible for the Level 4 programme and the funding for Playscape
programmes. With an HND in Playwork, Therapeutic Playwork and Child Psychology modules and has special interest
in behaviour, youth issues and the development of play spaces for children. Marianne also has her A1 and V1 awards
and Certificate in Education.
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Lynda Ray
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Laura Bowen
Laura started her career in the childcare sector but soon realised that play was far more her area of passion. While studying
for her playwork degree at Leeds Metropolitan University she was part of a team who set up and managed a Prison Visits
Play Facility at HMP New Hall near Wakefield and she is still one of the company directors now.
Laura's current role is as the Play Strategy Co-ordinator for Wakefield Council, which involves managing Wakefield's Play
Strategy, organising Wakefield's Playday each year, mentoring play settings signed up to the Quality in Play-Quality
Assurance Scheme and much more.
Laura has two young boys, a 3 year old and 3 month old, who keep her busy and she tries to practice what she preaches
given time as many opportunities for elemental, heuristic and loose parts play as possible.
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Tom Matthews
Having originally starting off in the play industry managing a team that designed and built school playgrounds across the UK,
Tom moved into municipal playgrounds working as a business development manager for the worlds largest playground
company. He currently designs and installs up to £100,000 worth of playgrounds every month and whilst most of his work is
in the region he has recently completed projects as far afield as Jersey, Cornwall and London. He has a growing interest in other
areas of the play industry including methods of procurement, playground assessment and the links between play, sport and health.
His practical approach occasionally borders on blunt, but his commitment to his projects is recognised by all of his clients and
ongoing partnerships. He is currently working on an assessment tool for playgrounds which can be used by adults and children
and will do away with the prettiest picture competitions that prevail!
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Sally Swann - Administrator and Communications Officer
Role:
To provide administrative support to Peter and communication support to the 12 Director's of Yorkshire Play.
Sally is also the first point of contact for Yorkshire Play.
Background:
Sally's background is in secretarial and administration work. Originally working as a secretary and then moving
into organising conference and meetings in hotels. After having two children Sally then took up part time work as a
merchandiser before deciding to return to an administrative role.
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