A grant of almost £250,000 will give children in Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire the opportunity to get on board the Creative Play Boat project.

The 65ft narrow boat will be cruising its way down the Grand Union Canal as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Playful Ideas programme, which funds new projects that provide free access to innovative and creative play.

Milton Keynes Play Association (MKPA) is awarded £246,232 to launch the Creative Play Boat, which will be a narrow boat with a difference, carrying aboard a treasure trove of play equipment to widen the play opportunities for children aged eight to thirteen.  

Andy Grout, Executive Director, Milton Keynes Play Association, said: “This is a terrific opportunity not only for MKPA, but for the children, young people and the communities of Milton Keynes. The Grand Union canal is a main arterial route through the city, touching a diversity of communities and need. Beyond Milton Keynes we can deliver play opportunities to the rural areas from Bedfordshire in the south to Northampton in the north.”

During their time aboard the children can enjoy a variety of fun and games including arts and crafts, music making, learning about local wildlife and water safety.  They will also be able to enjoy play both on and off the boat, making full use of the green spaces and woodlands that surround the canal towpaths.  

Alison Rowe, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the South East, said: “Travelling along the canal gives this innovative project a unique way of bringing free and exciting play opportunities to children in Milton Keynes and beyond. Playful Ideas funding exists to provide challenging and stimulating activities, increase well-being and positively contribute to the physical, emotional and social development of the region’s children.”

The children will be asked their ideas to name the boat as part of their ongoing involvement in the project and asked what activities they would like to do, ensuring that they get the most out of it.    

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of Hours Contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.