Published: Monday, 2nd October 2023
Children and young people across Medway have benefitted from thousands of free activities and free books, thanks to a special council team.
Our Child-Friendly Medway team was created in 2021 to ensure children and young people were at the heart of everything the council does, listening to them and working directly with them to address their concerns or to progress their ideas on what they would like to see in the area they are growing up in.
The team delivers a wide range of events and activities to connect, listen and respond to Medway’s youngest residents, and has developed an action plan to take the Child-Friendly Medway initiative forward.
Child-Friendly Medway launched its first annual report at MidKent College in Gillingham on Friday, 29 September.
More than 60 people attended from a number of partner organisations to find out more about the great work the team has done and how they can help make Medway even more child-friendly.
Council leaders, The Child-Friendly Medway team and partners at the event on Friday.
Over the last year, the Child-Friendly Medway team has organised, supported or sponsored 4,239 events and activities as part of its Seeing is Believing programme, which provided free opportunities for children to have fun with their parents and carers. Over 90,000 people have taken part in the activities, which included drop-in sports sessions, theatre events and holiday-themed activities.
The team has also organised five City Hall events which give children and young people the chance to have their say and ask council leaders questions. The events are also great opportunities for council teams to ask children and young people for their views. The council’s Planning Team, which is working on the Chatham Design Code, used the November 2022 City Hall to understand Chatham from a young person’s perspective.
In September 2022, more than 30,000 people visited Chatham on the day of the team’s Super Saturday event where residents could meet superheroes and have their photos taken with cars from famous movies. There was also a wide range of activities for children to take part in. This year’s Super Saturday event also saw around 30,000 in Chatham with local shops reporting significant sales boosts. The team received some outstanding feedback, including: “Brilliant for the little kids and the 'big kids'”, “Great fun and well organised”, “Nice to see so much activity in the town for a change and the children being engaged in good fun”.
The For the Love of Reading project which aims to encourage children to grow their imagination through reading, has also been a huge success. During school holidays the team has been hiding books for children and young people to find. The books have been found in playgrounds, at shopping centres and on benches and so far, more than 2,600 books have been given to children across Medway.
Further proof that children matter in Medway
Cllr Adam Price, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “We are delighted that our Child-Friendly Medway team has reached thousands of children, young people, parents and carers. Children and young people are at the heart of everything we do in Medway and it is vital that we continue to listen to them to ensure their voices are heard. We are committed to listening to their thoughts and ideas to continue to make Medway a great place to live, work, learn and visit. We want to make Medway one of the best places in the country for children and young people to grow up and I would encourage them, and their families, to find out more about the fantastic free activities and events that Child-Friendly Medway provides. The Child-Friendly Medway team looks forward to welcoming you at one of their next events. They have lots on offer this autumn including: Trick or Treat Scare Fest, a Halloween film screening, soft play, storytelling and the return of Family Fun Fri-YAY. Further proof that children matter in Medway.”