The Child Mental Health Charter (CMHC) committee members are often asked to attend events and when the invite arrived from Alliance 4 Children (formerly the Children’s Alliance) Power 2 Play inviting them to take part in an event at the House of Lords, taking a petition to Downing Street and then listening to further speakers in the V & A museum, this was an event not to be missed.
Sarah Bentley, Chair of the CHMC committee rescheduled her diary telling her clients that the event she was going to attend was because they were important and so off she went, CMHC business cards, leaflets and a few pots of bubbles in hand, caught the early train to London.
Two hours later and she arrived, and made her way to the House of Lords ready to hear
- Baroness Lister – President of Alliance 4 Children
- Paul Wright CEO – Alliance 4 Children as Master of Ceremonies
- Presentation of the POWER 2 PLAY – Led by Dr’s Norman, Veale, Jones & Wright
- Tom Hayes MP – Play as part of the Political change, being the child’s voice in Parliament.
- Eugene Minogue – Play England
- Baroness Anne Longfield – Centre for Young Lives
- Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE – Play at the Heart of Communities
- Jess Asato MP – How Play is vital to creativity and how laws such as the ‘Reasonable Punishment/Smacking’ in England need to be dropped.
- Dr Amrit Purba – Cambridge University – Social Media, Tech and its Dangers, especially to the ability/time for Play to help children Grow & Thrive.
- The POWER 2 PLAY Song – Performed by Flakefleet Primary School.
- Baroness Frances D’Souza – Vice-president of the Alliance 4 Children
- Paul Wright to close and rally all to accompany him to Downing.
Following these inspiriting speakers Sarah then travelled to 10 Downing Street to support the handing in of the petition Power 2 Play, sadly due to heightened security, had to wait at the end of Downing Street.
Lastly Sarah travelled to the Young V & A museum to hear more speakers before making her way back to Paddington for the trip home.
- Welcome – Dr Helen Charman – Young V&A Museum
- Paul Wright CEO – Alliance 4 Children as Master of Ceremonies
- Presentation POWER 2 PLAY – Dr’s Norman, Veale, Jones & Wright – Q&A Session
- Fiona Ashcroft – CEO of Alder Hey Charity
- Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE – Q&A Session
- The POWER 2 PLAY Song – Alison Wheeler and Flakefleet Primary School.
- Dr Amrit Purba – Cambridge University – Social Media, Tech and its Dangers, especially to the ability/time for Play to help children Grow & Thrive. Q&A
Sarah was inspired by her day, but the singing from the children from Flakefleet Primary School was where the magic lay for her and encourages her to keep ‘banging the drum’ to support the emotional wellbeing of the next generations.
If you would like to get involved, with the CMHC sponsored by PTUK, then please (Kyra please can these all be live links_)
1.sign the Charter www.childmentalhealthcharter.com/supporters
- download the email to send to your MP www.childmentalhealthcharter.com
- spread the word.
Sarah Bentley MA
23rd June 2025
