TEDxEastEnd - Penny Wilson - Play September 27, 2011

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Penny Wilson grew up in the South East of England and played on the rolling hills of the South Downs and beside the sea. These childhood experiences influenced and continue to inform and inspire her work.

She studied illustration but her career began in earnest when she started Playworking with children with disabilities and their peers at Chelsea Adventure Playground. She has become widely known for her Playwork with children, particularly those with disabilities in inclusive play settings Today she is still working as a Playworker, advocating for and facilitating play in parks, playgrounds and housing projects.

Penny has been gathering play stories for many years, to help people recapture the vibrancy and importance of their childhood play. In doing this she believes that people will understand that their children also need to play and they will discover ways that they can help this to happen.

She currently works for the Play Association Tower Hamlets (PATH) based in the East End of London. PATH is a nonprofit organisation and play provider, which supports campaigns and advocates for children's play in an overcrowded, increasingly urban and impoverished community on the fringes of the 2012 London Olympic Games site.

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