Carla Gill, the organisation’s Co-Founder and Managing Director has won the Playwork Awards Paul Bonel Special Mention Award for her contribution to the play sector. The award celebrates the contribution of significant impact to play and the playwork sector.
Carla, who has a long-standing interest in play having studied Childhood, Education and Culture at Leeds University developed her passion for play when running enriching volunteering and play projects while working with children with complex needs in Leeds.
Since the charity was founded in 2009, Carla has worked tirelessly to ensure that over half a million children can access fun and safe play. Since the charity’s inception, over 350 playgrounds have been built and Carla has spearheaded work to ensure that all the charity’s playgrounds are produced to a high-quality, meaning a high-standard of play and play spaces are the norm.
Carla has worked to introduced play-based training for caregivers and teachers in East Africa, resulting in a more positive view of play within local communities and improved learning experiences for children in Uganda. Carla has worked to strengthen relationships with other charities to help us reach more children, including refugees. She has recently been supporting the charity’s Play for Brighter Futures fundraising appeal to help refugee children in Uganda recover from trauma through play.
The entire team is incredibly proud that Carla has won the Playwork Awards Paul Bonel Special Mention Award. Murielle Maupoint, CEO said, “This is a very well deserved award and we’re delighted that Carla has won. For over 10 years, she has worked tirelessly to bring play to children in East Africa, this award celebrates Carla’s incredible achievements and contribution to the sector. We couldn’t be more proud of Carla and the impact that her hard work has had on the lives of so many children in just over 10 years – well done Carla!”
