Julian says that play is one of the most important thing a child can do when they’re young, and his service has been at the heart of play for thousands of children across Torfaen. It’s had such an impact, he’s just been awarded a British Empire Medal
00:00What is important is education. It is training for life for children. If children don't play, they don't learn. They don't learn about what they want to do. They don't make friends. They don't learn about what sports they want to do. They don't have the opportunity to find out things they like, dislike. It is vital. Play is one of the most – it goes hand in hand with education.
00:24And if a child isn't playing, it's difficult for their education. The well-being of a child is the number one priority.
00:31Julian is clearly incredibly passionate about children being given that space to play.
00:35He says it's one of the most important things that kids can do when they're young.
00:38And Torvine Play Service, a council scheme he's been at the heart of for two decades, shows the dedication that Julian has put into it.
00:45He's also now been recognised on a wider level when last month he received a British Empire Medal for his services to young people.
00:51He says he was incredibly proud, but the award is for everyone involved, not just him.
00:56I must say, when I received it on the Saturday morning, I was shocked, to be honest.
01:01I was over the moon, to be honest.
01:03Yes, I've been working with children and young people for over 30 years now in various – in the role I'm in now, it's been the last 24 years.
01:10And prior to that, I was in the third sector and volunteering myself.
01:13But it's very much so, without the dedicated staff and the volunteers, none of it would be possible.
01:21So I might have got the award, but it's for us all.
01:24Do you know what I mean?
01:24It is for all those volunteers, past and present, and the dedicated staff that give up their time to run a service seven days a week.
01:32You know, so I thank them massively.
01:34It wouldn't be doable without them.
01:35One key feature of the service is the volunteers who make up such a big part of it.
01:40Young people from across the borough and beyond take part, and it gives them an amazing opportunity to get experience and training to set them up, and give them a few extra paragraphs on their CVs.
01:50So by doing this, we take on about 200 young people to volunteer.
01:55We mix them up with the paid workers.
01:57We train them, support them to deliver these opportunities for children.
02:00So we're just delivering everything at the moment, because it's actually huge just before we start our training programme.
02:05But we will average in the summer.
02:08Last year, we had between 2,500 to 3,000 children per day across all the sites.
02:15And so we're predicting those sort of numbers again this summer.
02:19The service is for any and every child across Torvine, and the children who might not be able to play along with other children in the same way,
02:25those children who may have a disability, can thrive in the setting they offer.
02:28What I'm very passionate about is making sure, as a service all year round, we have a service that runs seven days a week,
02:34and we really support those vulnerable children, making sure they can be supported and giving them opportunities on weekends.
02:42So at the moment, we have an average of about just over 105 children supported every Saturday and Sunday
02:49to have that opportunity to play in a safe environment, which are being supported by paid staff and majority of volunteers.
02:57So we train those volunteers to support these children.
