Club supports innovative play centre to foster parent-child interaction

7 November 2009

Children's play is generally perceived in local culture as a reward rather than a learning medium, but in fact play is vital to a child's social, physical and mental development.  In a busy and hectic city like Hong Kong, quality play can be especially important in fostering good parent-child relationships.  In order to promote the benefits of play, The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust has donated HK$2.74 million to Playright Children's Play Association (Playright) to support the operating costs for 2½ years of HSBC Playright PlayScope, a new facility in Tai Po aimed at promoting family harmony by providing a relaxing environment in which parents and children can play.  Today (7 November),  the Club's Executive Director, Charities, William Y Yiu, was joined by Secretary for Development Carrie Lam, HSBC Chairman Vincent Cheng, Playright's Honorary President Anne Marden and Chairman C B Chow at the opening ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Yiu said the Club shared Playright's vision in promoting the concept of child-driven play.  Since 1991, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust had been supporting a number of innovative Playright projects and services including its Play Resource Centre, as well as funding the agency's operational costs.  In the past, however, the Play Resource Centre had no permanent premises from which to operate and therefore could only provide a limited scope of services.  The new centre would provide an ideal environment for meeting the play needs of parents and children.  "PlayScope can become a demonstration unit for Government departments, schools, non-profit organisations and the private sector by illustrating the advantages of play, showing how to incorporate play into their services and further promoting its benefits," Mr Yiu said.

The Secretary for Development Carrie Lam said, "I'm pleased today to witness the establishment of this unique and innovative play space. Children are the hope of our future. I believe that play can help children's development and growth; I am most grateful to Playright for bringing a wealth of resources to the community and let them have a healthy and happy life. Playscope will enable parents and children through play to develop parent-child relationship, and provide children with a colorful play world for a better quality of living."

Located at Tai Wo Estate and occupying a total floor area of more than 330 square metres, PlayScope is designed by the award-winning Japanese architect Mitsuru Senda in collaboration with Playright's design team.  It provides safe, versatile and colourful play spaces for children, where they can freely explore and express their creativity through experience.  The facility is divided into various play zones, including PlayCircle, PlayLab, Toy Library and Play Resources Corner.  It is estimated that the services provided by the centre can benefit over 23,000 people a year.

125th Anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009/10 season.  Over the past 125 years, it has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.   It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.