Playworker of the Year: A Playworker who embodies the Playwork Principles and has gone above and beyond to provide an excellent service for children, parents/carers and the local community.

Below are anonymised nominations for the shortlisted Playworkers.

Please read the descriptions below and cast your vote for the winner here.

“We are delighted to nominate her for the prestigious Playworker Award in recognition of her exceptional dedication, resilience, and professionalism. She is a refugee from Ukraine who has shown remarkable strength and determination in building a new life in the UK. Despite the ongoing challenges she faces, with her husband and extended family still living in a war zone, she continues to face each day with positivity and unwavering commitment. She has worked tirelessly to secure employment, a stable home, and provide a loving and supportive environment for her two sons. In addition to her personal challenges, she has demonstrated an outstanding work ethic in her professional development. She has worked diligently to learn English and has achieved a Level 2 Playworker Qualification, alongside completing all mandatory training required for her role in childcare. Her dedication to her work and to furthering her qualifications is truly commendable, and she continues to attend local college courses two evenings a week to further her professional development in line with her visa requirements. She is an invaluable member of the team. She is deeply loved by the children in her care, who respond to her warm, nurturing approach. She has a natural ability to connect with the children, supporting their development and wellbeing in a way that is both caring and professional. Her positive attitude, combined with her exceptional dedication to her role, makes her a trusted and respected figure within our team. She also communicates well with parents and promotes the club in the local community. Despite the personal difficulties she remains a beacon of positivity, always going above and beyond to ensure the children in her care are supported and nurtured. She truly exemplifies the qualities of a dedicated playworker, and we believe she would be a most deserving recipient of the Playworker Award.”

“She is a highly valued member of the team and goes above and beyond to ensure that the children at the club are happy, engaged, entertained and feel safe. She has been the driving force behind us being awarded our Silver Welsh Promise Award! She supports the management team and the rest of the team I n our continued commitment to promoting our National language at the club. She has independently developed a Dysgu Cymraeg folder where key words/phrases can be found to support the children and Play workers. She organises fun sessions and games with the children to promote Welsh through play. She is very deserving of this award and we thank her for her dedication, commitment and support.”

“She looks after our son who has Type 1 diabetes and is on an insulin pump. She picked up the training so quickly and is never phased by the ups and downs that diabetes can bring. Our son has developed a lovely relationship with her and trusts her and the two of them (even though our son is only 6) often work together to help manage our sons blood sugar levels which gives him confidence. My husband and I were able to extend our hours with work again following our son’s diagnosis as we were able to send our son to the club. We are very grateful and know he is in the best hands.”

“She is fun, caring, dedicated and loved by all the children. She always puts the children first even coming in on her days off. She is an all-rounder who gets on well with everyone children, staff, parents and carers. She is an excellent role model for the children to look up too. She is mad as a hatter, she will climb trees with the children, then complain she has a bad knee’s (why did you do it? “Because the kids wanted me too”.) She has crazy idea’s which the children love, den building, dance raves many many more. She is a grandmother of 4 with just as much energy of all of them. She is honest and will tell it like it is and an asset to the setting.”

Cast your vote for the winner here.