HUNDREDS of children across Cumbria are getting the chance to create and play thanks to recycled items that were destined for landfill.

Many schools and nurseries across the county will receive a Loose Parts Play trolley thanks to a partnership between Kendal based Ragtag Arts and the former Cumbria County Council.

The trolleys include a wide variety of safe scrap items including plastic tubing, barrels, foam shapes fabric and tyres, and training is provided for teachers to put on educational outdoor play activities for their pupils.

Emily Dewhurst, Executive Director of Ragtag Arts, said: "Our Loose Parts Play trolleys are designed to give young people the chance to experiment, discover and create new ideas for themselves.

"The kits include a wealth of different items and components, meaning children can create pretty much anything they can imagine.

"Not just that, but they provide a much-needed chance to play – something psychologists say is vital for children’s development.”

Bursting with reused materials, the kit inside the trolleys can be used to make anything from ten pin bowling to a limbo bar or crazy golf course, and even a rocket ship, and come complete with inspiration sheets to prompt ideas.

Alongside this, the team at Ragtag provide training sessions for teachers and education staff to link the trolleys to their curriculum learning outcomes, meaning pupils get added benefits alongside being free to play.

Using the trolleys, pupils are able to develop their physical, communication, literacy, mathematics and art and design skills, plus have fun in the process. 

As well as being packed full of items originally destined for landfill, the trolleys themselves are built from recycled wooden pallets that otherwise would have been thrown away.

For more information about Ragtag Arts or to inquire about a Loose Parts Play Trolley visit their website: www.ragtagarts.co.uk