A Celebration of Storyplay, family and community – with food, friends and play!

On the 7^th of July Licketyspit and Community Central Hall launched the Maryhill Storyplay Games Exhibition to celebrate our first Maryhill Storyplay Games 2026 (coinciding with Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games!), created with photographer Eoin Carey and the Licketyspit Child-Photographers.

 

Eoin, who has worked with Licketyspit for many years photographing many of our projects, events and festivals, perfectly captured the joy, creativity and community of Storyplay! His genius invention addition, was The Licketyspit Photography Studio, where child photographers took wonderful portraits of their families and friends!

The launch of the Exhibition at Maryhill’s Community Central Hall was a fabulous success, attended by Licketyspit families from across Glasgow, Licketyspit friends, supporters and members of the public who were experiencing Storyplay for the first time!

Our fantastic Licketyspit Patrons, actor Sanjeev Kohli and Storyplay Champion, Zainab Adeleye, cut the ribbon to open the exhibition. They spoke eloquently about the power of Storyplay to create and nurture this richly diverse, generous and inclusive community and the importance of play, not only for children but for everyone, and how creativity and human connection helps us all become people who can change the world!

There were crafts, reflecting drawing, dressing-up, a CCH cooking workshop making Quesadillas! lovely food, and we even had an impromptu Dressing-Up Parade!  And of course, everyone got to see all the brilliant giant and small photographs all over Community Central Hall!

“This place is amazing like you get to play with your mum and your dad or anyone that’s in your family playing these games has helped me find out that I can do more stuff than I think I can do. Being with your friends and your family is great”  – Child

“It also the place that everyone can feel belonged to this community and emotionally relieve the stress and feeling lonely. Even children can make new friends, also the adults can meet new people which help them to improve their language skills, make them confident in their daily lives. I feel super confident with others, they become part of my family!”  – Parent

A most excellent launch of a fantastic Exhibition that continued until the 15^th of August for the public to enjoy.

We hope this unique Exhibition can have a further life and share this celebration of children, families, play, multi-culturalism, optimism and joy with even more people!

Thank you from us all at Licketyspit!

There’s lots of ideas and activities to get you playing at home. Try our interactive videos! Including…

• Making with Iona
• Cooking with Taz
• Exploring with Jack
• Funky Chicken
• Grandma Grandma

and many more!

Find out more about what’s happening at Licketyspit by clicking on the button.

We have some Lickety Mums who volunteer at our Porridge & Play sessions as Storyplay Champions.

If you would like to find out more about Storyplay Champion training and volunteering, click on this button or get in touch with us on cfn@licketyspit.com

A new collaboration between Licketyspit and Community Central Hall

This Summer Licketyspit was delighted to host The Maryhill Storyplay Games in partnership with Community Central Hall, as part of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Festival of art, live music, sports workshops, and community city-wide events celebrating the Commonwealth Games!

Licketyspit would like to thank EVERYONE who made this brilliant day possible, especially the fantastic Licketyspit volunteers, and the team at Community Central Hall, and of course, the wonderful Licketyspit families who are at the heart of everything we do and are the true ambassadors of STORYPLAY.

Thank you from us all at Licketyspit!

There’s lots of ideas and activities to get you playing at home. Try our interactive videos! Including…

• Making with Iona
• Cooking with Taz
• Exploring with Jack
• Funky Chicken
• Grandma Grandma

and many more!

Find out more about what’s happening at Licketyspit by clicking on the button.

We have some Lickety Mums who volunteer at our Porridge & Play sessions as Storyplay Champions.

If you would like to find out more about Storyplay Champion training and volunteering, click on this button or get in touch with us on cfn@licketyspit.com

Our first trip to Troon Beach this Summer with Bridgeton Hub families!

We had a lovely bus journey with our Porridge & Play Bridgeton families!

On one bus we sang Old MacDonald, played Alphabet Countries (thanks to Suleman as it’s his fave game) and “My Names Bob & I’m Very Big & I like to eat Bananas!”

And Virginia told the story of the Quangle Wangles Hat! (Which Licketyspit once did a show about – take a look here https://www.licketyspit.com/families-2/licketyspit-projects/quangle-wangle/#

On the other bus we chatted about the seaside and how excited everyone was about heading to beach! All the children were determined to go swimming even though the sun was not out today…but they weren’t worried about that at all!

After spotting farms & sheep and cows and forests (or maybe woods…. And some people playing golf!) to our great glee (delight) we suddenly saw the SEA!

It was windy & so sandy blowing in our eyes a bit but lots of us still hopped into swimsuits and leaped into the sea to paddle, to swim & to play – hooray!

It was COLD but it was So FUN! And lots of mums jumped in too!

Taz made us all lovely hot chocolate to warm us up. We moved our picnic up onto the grass beside the promenade near the beach so we didn’t get sand in our sandwiches!

The blustery day and the sea had made everyone very hungry for our baguettes, cheese,  hard boiled eggs and tomatoes, cucumber, grapes and hummus, Leena’s delicious yogurt carrot dish and later muffins – from Rasha’s Cupcake shop!.

We ran and we chased

And we danced and we played

And we sat to chat

Before some of us discovered a marvellous playpark!

Graeme & Andy were ready with the buses to take us home to Bridgeton – quite a lot of us slept all the way there!

We saw horses and ponies on the way back too – well, some of us did…Abakr & Mariam had a wee nap instead and Arafa, Ghada & Lina chatted all the way home!.

The water was salty

The seagulls so naughty

The sand was sticky

The  chocolate warm!

Oh how we love a day at the seaside with our Bridgeton pals!

Virginia, Sarah, Taz & Bridgeton Hub Families

With Storyplay friends from Bridgeton!

Troon Beach

July 2026

Our spirits weren’t dampened by a little light rain at Balloch Castle Country Park on Wednesday.

We first had a look at the spooky castle, talking about who might live in the building now overgrown with weeds – spiders, birds, perhaps something else…

On with our bright blue ponchos and we were off to explore.

Down down down the path to the loch, finding a marvellous playpark by the water.

We climbed and we jumped.

We swung and we slid.

Inside the ship’s galley we chased and we hid.

On pole, slide and seesaw we played and we played.

Children and grown ups all joined in the games.

The flying fox took us off with a whoosh!

We helped one another to climb on and push.

And when we got hungry we went back up the hill.

To have our picnic under a canopy of trees.

Ruby read Mrs Wobble the Waitress

Where children saved the day with nets and skates

Entertaining the customers as they caught chickens and plates!

We played I spy and the alphabet games on the bus

Put our phones away and it passed in a flash

“If we’d been at home on a day like this we’d probably just have been on

screens all day” Mum

We were wet, but happy thanks to Picnic & Play!

by Taz, Sarah, Ruby & Licketyspit Families

Find out more

With Storyplay friends from Maryhill!

Balloch Castle Country Park
July 2026

This morning it was cloudy and it even drizzled a wee bit but that does not stop Licketyspit families playing outdoors.

We had Sruthi, Shanmukha and Daiwik, James and Yulia and Boatemaa and Gabbie but then we were joined by Penny and Cyrus and Abiodun, Faridah, Dorcas and Fawsan!

How does it feel to Storyplay outdoors?

Is it very different from Storyplay inside?

Well, I’ll tell you one thing – only at outdoors Storyplay one can dress up and dance in the rain! We did it today – and it felt great!

Our dressing up today was so elaborate and families created characters inspired by the wonderful Children’s Wood –

James was Purple Tail -‘I live in the Forest , this forest the Children’s Wood, in the tree next to the beehive and that doesn’t bother me because bees are my good friends!’

Gabbie became Marshmallow – ‘I live in Candyland and I like to eat lentil soup! I like to play with my friends and do everything else in Candyland!’

Boatemaa was Mama Hippo – ‘I live next door to Candyland in the Quiet Forest and I love singing’

Shamunkha was a Party Animal from Partyland and Sruthi and Daiwik were also Partyland citizens who party all day long!

And Steven became a HUMAN BEAT BOX – he was amazing and we all danced to his beats! And then we sang Jelly On His Head to a cool beat from Steven!

We also played Funky Chicken and Stuck In the Mud and we run around so much we suddenly realised we were very very hungry!

The picnic was lovely and we all had lots to eat and to chat about – James told us how he played a similar game to Stuck in the Mud when he was wee in Taiwan!

Yulia was taking photos on everyone’s knees with her wee camera!

And Fawzan tried some pull ups on a tree branch – with a little help from Andre.

Boatemaa and Abiodun chatted for ages and Sruthi, Shanmukha and Daiwik really got into their Reflective Drawing.

Dorcas loved the Mud Kitchen and made pizza with Steven. And Yulia made ice cream in the sand pit!

All in all, it was a lovely day out with old and new friends  – HURRAY FOR THE CHILDREN’S WOOD & STORYPLAY!

Taz, Steven, Andre & Licketyspit Families

A session with Storyplay friends from across Glasgow!

North Kelvin Meadow and Children’s Wood
July 2026

Feels free and unexpected and really good!

We played in many different ways

and had great chats sitting in the shade.

First we warmed up with a song

Then made our bodies thin and long

Round and bouncy

Jelly like

Strong as giants

Feather light

Everyone dressed up in different ways

We had a fairy who learns how to twirl

A fairy who eats bugs

We had a bumblebee living in a tree

We had a dragon fly and a ladybird turning into a spider with a pink web!

Zara the Butterfly and Kim the Butterfly had a rivalry…ooh!

Rosy Butterfly liked to EAT caterpillars

Then there was the French Chef Marcell who made delicious dishes as well

Muhammed the Genie’s friend could ask the Genie for 3 wishes

And not far away were Blue Fish Ammar and a Blue Bottle Fly

A Larvae that was yet to evolve, wanted to grow into a cricket. Muhammed the Genie’s friend helped her get her wish, and a cricket she became!

And finally a Goblin and a French Pirate…

Joined us for our games!

We danced and made up funny rhymes,

with animals stinky and silly and wild!

We let loose in the children’s wood,

making fries, steak and noodles in the mud kitchen.

We climbed on the tightrope and the bouncy web.

And played in the sand with lots of new friends.

We came back together for Hide and Seek.

We searched for each other among the trees

We ate some eggs and bread and cheese

We saw some lovely bumble bees!

What a fine and happy time, I want to come here all the time!

A session with Storyplay friends from Castlemilk and Maryhill!

North Kelvin Meadow and Children’s Wood
July 2026

A blog from Ruby, Taz, Andre, Zainab and the Licketyspit Families