Falkirk nurseries nominated for play area funding

The Play More campaign would see a nursery either receive funds to improve their outdoor play area or have a mural painted by award-winning artist Joy Pirkle.

The Sudocrem campaign is encouraging nursery children to play outdoors, and parents have the chance to nominate more nurseries right up until the end of the month.

So far the nurseries that have been nominated from Falkirk are Avonbridge Nursery, Bowhouse ELC, Carron Nursery Class, Denny Primary School Nursery Class and Hallglen Primary School Nursery, as well as Glenbervie Kindergarten in Larbert.

The campaign was started amid concerns that children are spending too much time indoors, and they are missing out on exploring the natural world around them.

Research from a government report found that one in nine children have not visited a beach, park or forest in 12 months and on average a British child only spends four hours a week playing outdoors.

Statistics from a Sudocrem survey also found that nine out of ten children were unable to recognise butterflies, and one in three did not know bees made honey.

Children’s TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, who is an ambassador for Play More, said that parents should be encouraging their children to get outside and explore the natural environment around them.

He said: “I was very fortunate when I was a child because I was encouraged to interact with the outdoors – looking under rocks and searching under logs and hedges to find creepy crawlies.

“If you just open your eyes, you’ll see that there is an incredible natural world out there waiting to be discovered”.

Nominations for an outdoor play area regeneration or a mural painting for your local nursery can be made up until August 31 at https://www.sudocrem.co.uk/social-hub.