Mark Halden

I come from a background of working with children and young people.

Beginning in the early 1970’s working in a children’s camp in Canada, in the wilds of British Columbia, with a group of friends, followed by year of project work with the same group, in the East End of Vancouver.

Returning to the UK in 1975, began teacher training, enrolled as a part time Youth Worker. In the summer hols working in an adventure playground. Completed teacher training but didn’t like teaching very much. Continued with the youth work, until the mid 1980’s, at which time became a volunteer at a club for young people with additional needs. that lasted until 2006.

In 1995 decided to get back into adventure playground work and took up the management of an adventure playground in Hemel Hempstead until 2001. Moved on to manage APG’s in Watford and later the Play Service until 2007.

Moved back to Canada in 2007 to 2009, spending time in schools trying to improve play provision, and my understanding of play.

Moved back to the UK with the idea of teaching once again, but was lucky enough to be offered a job managing Glamis Adventure Playground, in East London.

Glamis is a relatively small APG hemmed in on all sides by a jungle of concrete, brick and traffic. It is probably the only green playspace many kids have, and has been a centre of the community since the late sixties. To date.

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