In 1948 Beatrice Street in Bootle became the first Play Street in Merseyside, closed to traffic from sunrise to sunset to create space in Bootle’s warren of streets and warehouses for local children to play.

Playing Out is a programme of artist-led work that taps into Bootle’s radical history of play. Artists including Pester+Rossi have been invited to make new commissions, workshops & happenings with local families, with play in public space as a connecting idea. We are also working with local people, young and old, to capture stories about Bootle families’ experience of play to create an archive of memories, research & resource material for artists to explore, and new games for people to play.

Since COVID-19 we’ve found a way to share the project online and through creative play packs designed by artists including Joshua Sofaer and Anna Horton Cremin which are being distributed to families in Bootle along with emergency support. The packs are also free to download here.