Play Makers Brum

Play Makers Brum: Children's Rights — Our Responsibility Shaping a playful future for our children

Play is not a luxury. It is a right — and in Birmingham and the West Midlands, there are people doing extraordinary things to protect and champion it every day.

Play Makers Brum is a one-day conference bringing together grassroots play organisations, playwork practitioners, and local authority leaders to explore the vital role of outdoor play in our communities. This is a space to share stories, build connections, and — together — strengthen the collective voice for play across our region.

Whether you work directly with children and families, shape policy, or simply believe that every child deserves the freedom to play, this conference is for you.

Friday 3rd July | Birmingham

On the day, you can expect:

A keynote from Professor Helen Dodd, University of Exeter on Why Play Matters for Children's Mental Health, followed by a choice of hands-on workshops across the day.

The afternoon brings two focused presentations on Building Communities Through Play.

Emma Bearman, Founder at Playful Anywhere CIC, will share how their work — rooted in doing, testing and building trust — helped shape a whole-city approach to play sufficiency in Leeds; a story about persistence, partnership and the belief that play really is everybody's business. 

Sarah Robbins, CEO of The Springfield Project, brings a lifetime's commitment to play in Birmingham — from her work on the innovative Child Friendly Neighbourhood programme to six years leading Sounds of Play across the city. A passionate advocate for children's agency, Sarah will share her experience of building community through play and what it really takes to ensure every child has access to a rich diet of play, whatever their background or circumstance.

. The presentations will be followed by a shared Q&A, a fitting close to a day rooted in community and collective action.

Workshops

There will be four workshops running throughout the day and all attendees will be able to take part in three. When you register, we'll ask for your top three workshop choices — and we'll guarantee you a place in at least two of them.

Therapeutic Playwork - Ali Wood / Meriden Adventure Playground  

What is playwork — and what is therapeutic playwork? Hear stories from an adventure playground where children have the opportunity to experience fear, anger, thrill, uncertainty and excitement on their own terms; and discover how that freedom also enables them to overcome anxiety, regulate their feelings and build resilience. Ali Wood has been a playwork practitioner, researcher, writer and trainer for forty years. She has co-managed Meriden Adventure Playground and is currently part of a community of practice around therapeutic playwork, as well as serving as secretary of the UK Playwork Foundation.

What does inclusive play actually look like? - ROAM IN 

Accessibility ramps and visual timetables are a start, but genuine inclusion goes much further. In this workshop we will explore what it really means to create play environments where every child belongs. Drawing on the experience of ROAM-IN, our inclusive play sessions for children with SEND and their families, this is a practical and honest conversation about moving beyond tick-box accessibility to spaces and practice that are truly welcoming, for children, and for the adults who support them.

Growing a Child Friendly Neighbourhood From The Ground Up  - Sarah Robbins / Springfield Project 

What does it really mean to create a neighbourhood where children feel a sense of belonging?

For the past three years The Springfield Project’s Child Friendly Neighbourhood team has been growing a neighbourhood where children feel seen, heard, safe and valued. This workshop introduces the Child Friendly Neighbourhood approach developed in Sparkhill, Birmingham; a children and young people led, play-centred model that builds on the existing assets in our neighbourhood and brings together the three key strands of Engagement, Enrichment and Environment to strengthen relationships and build trust.

Drawing on our journey in Sparkhill, we will share how listening to children and young people has shaped our work in practice. The session will be led by some of the young people who have played a key role in influencing real decision making alongside contributions from the programme manager. The session will provide participants with opportunities to explore how play and children’s voice can be embedded into neighbourhoods, providing insight and inspiration on how to apply this model within their own context.

What's a SPARK? - Glue Collective

Join Glue Collective for an interactive session introducing SPARK — an advocacy space for play, art, rest and kin. Get hands-on with a variety of resources to make models and co-design new elements for SPARK, as you explore their unique approach to 'Loose Arts' — decorated loose parts that invite creativity and connection. Wrap sticks with wool, doodle, tinker and imagine, while weaving possibilities for intergenerational play spaces. The session will be peppered with anecdotes, reflective questions and a little film — and you'll leave with a small but precious gift. Glue Collective is a workers' cooperative based in Birmingham, bringing together four artists, play and community activists working to address social, health and economic inequalities in their local communities.

Hosted by Magic of Play, OPAL West Midlands, and ROAM.

Tickets & Accessibility

We've kept ticket prices as low as we can — but we know that cost can still be a barrier. If attending feels out of reach financially, please don't let that stop you from getting in touch. Drop us an email at play@roam.org.uk telling us a little about yourself, where you're based and why you'd like to come, and we'll do our best to make it work.

This conference is being run on a shoestring. Any surplus will go directly back into supporting play networks and provision across the West Midlands. This event is about community, not profit.