The Go Play scheme, which is the first ever play fund in Scotland, willrun over two years and will focus on improving facilities and servicesin areas where there is currently little access to them.
Voluntary groups will be able to submit funding bids after the officiallaunch of Go Play on 18 September. The charity Inspiring Scotland willmanage the scheme and distribute funding to applicants ranging fromsmall community groups to large-scale charities.
Inspiring Scotland will also help play organisations to bring inadditional resources through pro bono support from the private sector,so that they can build their funding for the longer term.
Andrew Muirhead, chief executive of Inspiring Scotland, said, 'Childhoodshould be a time of joy, exploration and learning. For too many childrenin Scotland this isn't the case. We hope that through Go Play we canbring a sense of fun and happiness to more children, which will alsohelp them grow up into happy and healthy adults who can make the most oftheir lives.'
To coincide with the launch of Go Play the Scottish government willpublish new research into how play opportunities can contribute toimproving outcomes and children's quality of life.
