** We’re delighted to confirm that the final total raised at our Summer Festival was £1,945.61. On our Facebook page you will find lots of photographs of the day. Thank you everyone for your support **

Saturday 21 June 2014 11am-4pm

Our annual summer fete gains a festival feel with live music, hot food and lots more. Our city farm and adventure playground will be open and there will be lots of fundraising games, crafts and our summer raffle. Entry by donation.

Confirmed activities so far include:

• African Heritage Centre will be performing and running workshops for children between 12 & 2pm
• Exotic Pet Refuge bringing animals between 1-3pm
• City College Peterborough will be running a children’s arts and crafts stall for us
• Refreshments include hot and cold drinks, biscuits, picnic bags, burgers and hot dogs, ice cream van, homemade cakes
• Activities including face painting, glitter tattoos, bouncy castle, medium & tarot card readings, jam jar tombola, bottle hoopla
• Stalls include: fairground sweeties, bottle hoopla, children’s toy tombola, lucky dip
• Just for fun: wellie wanging, World Cup shoot out, face painting, glitter tattoos, bouncy castle, medium & tarot card readings
• In our Eco Centre you can make dream catchers, stick men, fairy wands / pirate sticks, and buy garden plants & produce
• Summer raffle will be drawn – see underneath picture below for the prize list
• Plus our city farm will be open and children can play freely in our adventure playground and eco centre

 

If you can volunteer to help at this event please contact Charlotte on 01733 340605

We are closed 21-25 April 2014 to undertake Repairs and Maintenance on our buildings and land (and again 1-5 September).

Can you help with any of the following?

• An hour or two of time to help us on any of the days. Unfortunately we cannot have any children on site during this week to help, due to health and safety.
• Donations of cleaning products including bleach, scourers, cleansers, cloths, etc.
• Any unwanted tins of paint – unopened or recently opened

If you are able to volunteer to help during this week, please contact Charlotte on 01733 340605 and say when you can help, how long for and whether you have any mobility issues etc.

You will be asked to come wearing sensible clothing and you will be allocated a job to do, for example painting, cleaning, weeding, tidying games up, mending fences, feeding the animals, etc

We look forward to welcoming engineers from Cummins, to help us mend fences during our April Repairs and Maintenance week

 

Our annual report for 2012-13 is now available to view online as a low res PDF document – please click the link below.

New Ark Guide and annual report 2012-13

If you wish to receive a printed copy, please contact us on 01733 340605 or info@newarkplay.co.uk

Here’s what Jenny from Cummins Business Services said about this year’s report: “The dedication of every one of you comes across in this report – it is a credit to everyone at New Ark Play Association.” Thank you for your kind words Jenny, and thank you Cummins for sponsoring the report’s printing costs!

During the 2013 school summer holidays, we were fortunate in being able to employ extra staff to run small group activities. This meant that children were able to learn new skills and enjoy making and creating within the keep of a sympathetic adult. The funding of £1,000 came from Comic Relief allocated by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation.

It employed several people to do different things with the children so we were able to provide a range of activities:
– craft work (painting fabric for making a wigwam was especially popular)
– baking
– face painting sessions
– wool craft (several children boys and girls, learnt to crochet)
– eco activities including cooking on an outdoor fire and forest woodwork
….and lots more.

The sessions were very sociable with lots of good conversations between adults and children and new friendships forged. Parents were delighted within the children’s excitement and enthusiasm for having a go at something new. Staff were pleased to see the rise of confidence and improvement in social skills.

Here are a small selection of photos…

Painting our tepee material

Erecting the teepee

Papercraft session

Preparing a fire for outdoor cooking in our eco centre

Water play

Tree decorating with natural materials

Baking session

Learning to crochet

 

We are celebrating our second ‘outstanding’ rating in a row from Ofsted following an inspection in May 2013.

Inspectors were impressed with our adventure playground, stating that children “enjoy abundant opportunities to expand their imagination and develop physically and emotionally, such as den building.”

The report also recognised our highly innovative play-led teaching methods, which include Eco (Forest School) sessions and making full use of the City Farm to engage playground children in learning about the natural world and living things. “Children are very keen to learn in the rich and exciting playgroup, farm, adventure playground and eco centre that support them across the prime and specific areas. They have ample opportunities throughout the sessions to make their own choices and decisions about what they do”

Staff were singled out for high praise, with inspectors noting their dedication and passion for early years education and the very low staff turnover. “Children thoroughly enjoy the highly positive involvement from the staff in their activities…warm and genuine interaction actively promotes children’s feelings of self-confidence and value.”

Previously we received an outstanding report following a full inspection in November 2011. Both the 2011 and 2013 reports can be downloaded from the Ofsted website.

Our playgroup manager Nicola Anderson was thrilled with the recent grading. She said: “Our secret is we make full use of our amazing facilities. It has always been our aim to help children thrive through play, and it is wonderful to have an official stamp of approval for everything we are doing.”

You will find New Ark behind the row of shops on Hill Close, at the junction of Reeves Way/Eastfield Road. It is close to Sainsbury’s Oxney Road store and Newark Hill School.
* Our Play Support Service building is at the top of the hill. It is the old scout hut known as St Michaels.
* The entrance to our main building (Preschool and Adventure Playground) is the other side of the green at the bottom of the hill.
* The Eco Centre and City Farm are through the gate to the right of our main building. Once inside the gate turn right to the Eco Centre, or left towards the farm. If the gate is locked please come to the main building.

On foot walk down the footpath to the left of Hill Close shops, past the garages and down the slope/steps. If walking from Parnwell or Sainsbury’s, cross the bridge over the parkway and the sliproad, then take the footpath on the left through trees.

Buses regularly run past us on Reeves Way/Eastfield Road including the Citi 8 (Cardea-Parnwell) and the Citi4 (City Centre – Eastfield – Welland) routes. Ask to get off at Hill Close shops.

Drivers, head for Reeves Way at its junction with Eastfield Road and you will see a row of shops (Hill Close). Park behind near the garages or on the street nearby.  If using a sat nav, our postcode is PE1 5LZ
* From Frank Perkins Parkway northbound, exit at juntion 7 and turn left at the top of the sliproad. Take the next left into Reeves Way.
* From the Eye parkway roundabout take the A15 Paston Parkway and immediately exit onto Welland Estate. Turn left into Belvoir Way, then right at the juntion into Eye Road. At the next junction turn right into Eastfield Road then left into Reeves Way.
* From the city centre, follow signs for Regional College/Eastfield which will bring you along Eastfield Road. Pass the college and cemetary on your left, and after Newark Hill School turn right into Reeves Way.