Hi everyone. There is still time to register for London Play's annual conference Playing Outdoors - open places = playable spaces? in Central London on 20 November 2008. With Carl Honore, acclaimed writer of Under Pressure  - rescuing out children from the culture of hyper-parenting, as keynote speaker, and an intergenerational panel of experts including Tim Gill, writer of No Fear, Caroline Needham of Help the Aged, and young people from the Copenhagen Youth Project in Islington, and workshops ranging from how to free parks from dangerous dogs and closing down your street for children's play, the conference is for anyone who wants to help make the capital a more child- and play-friendly place. And of course lots of oppotunities to network and have fun. Full programme and registration form at www.londonplay.org.uk.

Hi Ute, nice to hear from you! I went to list your event in the events section of this web site, which is very popular with users, but I see it is already there http://www.cypnow.co.uk/events/article/4543/datefrom/20081101/

Putting my forum moderator hat on, I do have to point out that the forums are for discussion, and are not supposed to be used for advertising events, products or services.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to say to anyone who reads this that I am always happy to upload relevant event listings, and relevant readers are actually more likely to see events there, as they will be searching for events in the first place.

There is a lively community of parks and open space managers on the Horticulture Week web site. Anybody who wants to bend their ears about issues to do with children & young people and public open spaces can post in the forum there.

You will have to register before posting, but it's free and only takes a few seconds.

It was not only the arctic weather that came to London on Monday and Tuesday of this week. With the roads empty of traffic, children and adults alike came out to play in the snow. And something astonishing happened as streets and public spaces overflowed with cheerful people.

Not only were snowballs flying and rolling everywhere, but people of all ages took advantage of the opportunity to socialise - exchanging smiles, stories and jokes with local neighbours and strangers alike. Despite, or perhaps because of, the widespread disruption to work and travel plans, even City bankers and bus drivers discovered the cathartic benefits and the simple joys of play. But the most striking images were of streets and neighbourhoods full of children out playing freely and excitedly in the beautiful snow. For many children it was not only their first experience of widespread snow, but also their first experience of playing out.

In recent times perhaps the only other opportunity to see children out playing en-masse has been national Playday - the annual celebration of children's right to play, held on the first Wednesday every August. Is this the opportunity to start an annual Winter Playday? Such an event would help engrain the benefits of play into our lives, strengthen communities, and bring back a missed sense of fun and playfulness. Or will the memory of playing out melt away as quickly as snow and ice turn to slush?