Our Fantastic Work with Charities and Community Projects

Here at Pentagon Play our main goal has always been to improve the lives of children in the UK by improving outdoor learning and play environments. We want all children to enjoy the great outdoors whatever their age or ability.

Our mission is to "Improve children's lives today, to shape happier and healthier grown-ups tomorrow." One of the ways in which we have improved the educational play experience for over 5 million children is through our work with council and community projects. 

Pentagon Play are proud partners with specially chosen charities which protect vulnerable children and empower future generations. It is important to us to forge close links to chosen causes and communities across the UK to give back in anyway we can.

Read on to find out more about the charities we partner with and the amazing projects we have completed.

NSPCC 

The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) is the UK's leading children's charity and have been looking out for children for over 140 years.

The charity states that in the average primary school class, at least 2 children have suffered abuse or neglect. Pentagon Play wanted to partner with the NSPCC knowing that our support and donations enable them to carry on their important work with millions of children and young people. 

Over 80% of the NSPCC's income comes from donations which allow the NSPCC to:

• Visit schools and teach children that they can always speak out and get help.
• Campaign for change and demand laws needed to protect children.
• Run Childline for children to turn to for support.
• Equip parents and carers with the knowledge, support and skills they need.
• Run therapeutic services to help children to recover from abuse.
• Research the best ways to protect children and prevent abuse.

Speak out Stay Safe Programme

The NSPCC believes that child abuse is preventable - not inevitable. The charity works to keep children safe by explaining what abuse is and how to spot the signs in an interactive, age-appropriate way.

One of the charities main ways of working with schools involves the Speak out Stay safe programme which helps children to understand that they always have the right to feel safe and that if they ever feel scared or worried by something they can speak to a safe adult or Childline if they ever need help or support.

The NSPCC aims to change children's lives for the better by striving to transform the online world to make it safer for children and making sure every child has a place to turn for support when they need it. With every playground installation we complete our donations are helping to make a real difference. As the NSPPC states 'Every Childhood is Worth Fighting For.'

Action for Children

Action for Children work closely with children and families, identifying problems early and offering advice when needed. Help is provided in many ways from childcare to mental health programmes to parenting support.

Pentagon Play wanted to partner with this amazing charity which offers whole family guidance and helps to give children the best start in life.

Early Years Work

One of the many ways Action for Children offers support is by focussing on the early years of a child's life which is also a key priority for us here at Pentagon Play.

The charity runs more than 100 children's centres all over the UK, offering parental, pregnancy and early years support. Work involves helping children and families living with a range of issues from poverty to domestic abuse.

Centres provide access to health visitor services, speech therapy and access to midwives. Local communities are supported with classes for parents, play groups and support sessions.

Here at Pentagon we are always striving to create inclusive play spaces where all children are given the same opportunities. Action for Children offer tailored support for families, giving disabled children a chance to thrive.

The charity offers lots of activities and opportunities for disabled children to have fun and develop their independence, providing opportunities to try new things and make friends.

We are proud to partner with Action for Children. Our support plays a part in the wonderful work they do in helping to create safe and happy childhoods.

YoungMinds

The charity YoungMinds reports that in the UK an estimated five children in every classroom have a mental problem and 80% of young people with mental health needs said the pandemic made their mental health worse.

YoungMinds provides young people with tools to look after their mental health. Adults are empowered to be the best support they can be to the young people in their lives and young people are given the confidence to get their voices heard and change the world we live in.

Pentagon Play are always striving to improve children's mental health by encouraging active play in the outdoor environment. Last year during our Black Friday Sale we decided to donate a percentage of our overall online shop profits to YoungMinds via the Work for Good fundraising platform.

The 'You Matter' Strategy

Our donation will help YoungMinds with their clear vision for the future of the charity. The 'You Matter' strategy aims to:

• Help every young person who engages with YoungMinds to feel more hopeful about their mental health and feel they can do something positive to improve their situation.
• Ensure every young person has adults in their life who they can turn to for help with their mental health whether at home, at school or in the community.
• Make sure every young person who needs support -whether form the NHS, local services or online - can get it.

Pentagon Play fully support the work of YoungMinds in hoping to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.

The Children's Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT)

At Pentagon Play we are always looking for community projects where we feel we could help, donate or share our expertise.

In 2022 we discovered The Children's Adventure Farm in Cheshire and knew straight away that we would like to work with this amazing trust.

The beautiful 17th Century farmhouse is set in the heart of the Cheshire countryside and provides a variety of free programmes for terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children from all over the North West.

CAFT helps children aged 17 and under of all abilities. Visiting children may have severe physical and learning disabilities, terminal illness or sensory impairments.

The trust also supports children who may have faced bereavement or been victims of abuse. A visit to CAFT provides a much needed opportunity for fun and laughter and to simply enjoy being children.

During our guided tour around the fantastic 10 acres of facilities at CAFT we wanted to be able to add some Pentagon magic to the outdoor playground space. We delivered two of our outdoor playhouses designed to promote imaginative play and storytelling. The new secret dens are fantastic social hubs with built-in chalkboards for creating.

Once our team learned of the wonderful work CAFT do we wanted to volunteer at the farm during the busy festive period. Eleven places were filled by our team within minutes and we all had great fun manning the campfire, toasting marshmallows and putting our art skills to the test in the craft corner.

During the Christmas programme 3,400 children and their families benefitted from a festive visit to the farm where they made memories to last a lifetime.

A world of caring really does make a world of difference and we were all amazed by the fun, safe and engaging visits that CAFT offers children and their families.

British Red Cross

Team Pentagon Play never shy away from an active challenge and we are firm believers in the importance of fun physical activity! When the team from the North Office heard about the Active Cheshire Playfest they decided they were up for taking on the challenge!

The event was held in order to raise money for the British Red Cross which is a vital charity who respond to emergencies, building strong, resilient communities in the UK and in 190 other countries around the world.

Our donations help to provide:

• food, clean water, shelter and clothing in an emergency
• emergency response services
• refugee support services
• support to victims of modern slavery and trafficking
• wheelchair services
• help to find missing family

The centrepiece of the event was the world's longest inflatable obstacle course- at 1000ft long! Two eager teams (Pentathlon and Pentagon Pirates) successfully completed the event finishing 4th and 9th out of 60 teams! 

Team Pentagon enjoyed taking part in a fun, physical activity whilst raising vital funds for such an important charity.

Bright Park Charity in Liverpool

Bright Park is a registered charity in Knotty Ash in Liverpool with a wonderful 6-acre woodland park. The charity provides services, facilities, activities and events for children, young people and others in neighbouring communities.

Once a manor house renowned for its beautiful gardens, the site lay abandoned since 1998. The trust has set about restoring the parkland, improving the habitat and biodiversity and serving the community.

The park now lies at the heart of the community and is home to some wonderful events including:

• Squirrel Hour -  where children can see how many squirrels they can spot!
• Practical Horticultural Skills Courses
• Forest School Sessions
• Outdoor Holiday Clubs

Creating an Active Playspace with the Latrigg Climber

Once Pentagon Play discovered the fantastic work Bright Park does for children in the local community we knew that we could help. We strongly believe in children enjoying physical activity in nature not just during school hours but within their local communities too!

Although many events catered for children in the park, the Trust were keen to provide some form of play equipment and we knew this is where we could step in!

We decided to donate our marvellous Latrigg Mountain Climber to Bright Park. The triangular climbing frame provides an open-ended challenge for children of varying ages. This exciting climber builds confidence whilst developing strength, stability and balance.

We were so glad that we could provide Bright Park with a space for children to communicate, work together and engage in physical activity. It really is an amazing community hub which supports so many. We would love to return to the site as we hear fundraising plans are being made for a new swing set!

Whitworth Art Gallery

Summer 2019 was the start of an amazing partnership between Pentagon Play and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. For five years we have supported the Whitworth by donating our play equipment during their Summer of Play drop-in sessions.

The Whitworth Gallery has fantastic indoor and outdoor spaces where families can gather to explore our award-winning play equipment. Children can enjoy a wonderful, free summer's day out combining nature, art and play!

The Summer of Play

This collaboration has seen us support thousands of families by providing accessible cultural engagement and educational play opportunities during a cost of living crisis.

Over the years we have donated a wide variety of our most popular play products. Children have enjoyed: 

• Exploring water flow using our Water Walls
• Making potions at the Mud Kitchen
• Creating masterpieces whilst sitting at the Easel Table 
• Building the highest tower or best obstacle course using our Play Builder packages and Construction Skips.
• Composing a tune using our range of musical instruments

Each year members of our team volunteer to attend the annual summer event in order to engage with children and their families. We love to see children working together, sharing and taking turns and most importantly the huge smiles on happy faces!

Everyone at Pentagon Play looks forward to the annual Summer of Play at the Whitworth. Every year the event seems to get bigger and better as we support even more young people and their families.

Visyon

Visyon is a charity that supports the emotional health of children, young people and their families in Cheshire. The charity offers a range of vital services including: one to one counselling, mentoring, creative groups and parent workshops.

Visyon offers a safe space where young people can talk and feel listened to. Successful relationships are built with Visyon team members which help young people to understand how they think and feel.

Here at Pentagon we encourage our team to volunteer for a minimum of half a day each year in order to give back to organisations in the local community who align with our company values.

When we heard that Visyon wanted to spruce up their office space we were more than happy to lend a helping hand. We put on our overalls, grabbed the paintbrushes and gave the office space a fresh update. The centre is now an even more welcoming environment for the many young clients and visitors that access Visyon HQ.

We're Here To Give A Helping Hand!

As you can see our charity partners and community projects are extremely important to us here at Pentagon Play. We feel privileged to be able to make a difference to the lives of children, young people and their families.

Our dedicated, hard-working Pentagon family is made up of kind, compassionate and creative individuals who willingly give their time and energy to transform children's lives.

We look forward to carrying on supporting our charity partners and collaborating with more worthy organisations in the future.