MORE children than ever before attended play sessions organised by The Children's Centre during the school holidays in 2010.
The Out2Play scheme recorded its best ever year with a total of 3,700 children taking part. This was an increase of 1,200 from 2009 and ensured that the majority of the Island's 5,000 primary school children were reached.
Out2Play sessions are run by The Children's Centre play workers and are supported by volunteers. As well as offering children the chance to play and meet new friends they also learn about the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
The Out2Play programme was supported by Thomas Miller (Isle of Man) Ltd. The company also purchased a minibus used by Out2Play staff at the free play sessions across the Island.
Chris Gregory, playwork development officer at The Children's Centre, said: "The support from Thomas Miller has had a significant impact on Out2Play. In particular the new minibus has enabled us to reach more children and raise the profile of the scheme."
Ian Jarrett, Chairman of Thomas Miller (Isle of Man) Ltd, said: "This year's figures clearly show that the Out2Play scheme continues to grow in popularity thanks to the hard work and dedication of The Children's Centre staff.
"We are pleased to see that our funding has helped to develop the scheme and that more and more children are benefiting from it."
