Meet The Team
The Staff
The board
The Children
The staff and volunteers are responsible for delivering the core provision, and upholding the organisation’s objectives on day-to-day basis. It is the responsibility of the play work team to ensure the children can exercise the rights set out in the objectives on a day-to-day basis. The staff team meet at the playground every week
The board’s role is to provide practical assistance and supervision and to ensure everything is in place to allow everyone within and associated to the organisation to work together to uphold the organisation’s objectives. There are currently six members who meet at the playground every six weeks.
The children constitute the largest and most important group, and around whose needs and rights the rest of the organisation works. The playwork team actively involve the children in the management and running of the organisation and site where ever possible. The children meet on site every week.
Staff Profiles
Want to know more about our staff? We asked each staff member the same set of questions, have a read of their answers below!
Name: Robert Kennedy
Official job title: Project Co-Ordinator
Unofficial job title: Indoor Playworker
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP):
I am a husband and a father of two beautiful girls. I have lived in dalmarnock for 7 years. I enjoy watching and participating in many different sports but my favourite’s are football and golf (although I am not very good at either). I also enjoy going out for walks with my family and my 2 dogs.
How long have you worked at BSAP?
I have been involved with the playground from 2013 when we first started working with the children and young people.
What is your favourite thing about working here?
I really enjoy being able to help and support people. I also really like being able to give the children somewhere that they can take ownership and feel empowered.
Who is your favourite animal?
Pepper
What or who inspires you in your work?
All of the staff team inspire me every day. We have a fantastic team who regularly go above and beyond to make sure our children and families are supported.
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground?
I would build connected treehouses through all the trees which then has multiple elevated platforms. This would also have many different entrances which the children would need to use rope, netting and climbing holds to get up to the second level.
Noodles or toasties?
Toasties but only with cheese :D
Name: Alistair McCall
Official job title: Food Co-Ordinator
Unofficial job title: Food Dood / Park Old Guy / Bob a Job / Filling and emptying the dishwasher operative.
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP): I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends. I have several hobbies, such as football, fly fishing out in the wilds of Scotland, DIY, and of course the odd bit of cooking!
How long have you worked at BSAP? 4 years and counting.
What is your favourite thing about working here? Seeing the young people have a childhood like mine was. Exploring, experimenting and learning. Making friends through brilliant fun, laughter and the totally unpredictable nature of every day. It’s the best bonkers place I’ve ever worked at.
Who is your favourite animal? Alan, our very own Tasmanian Devil, and George.
What or who inspires you in your work? My parents. My dad had a very hard childhood, both he and my mum worked really tirelessly to give us a better life. We were a large family who didn’t have much materially but were rich in values, respect, natural justice and family bond. If I can encourage these qualities in the young people who come to the playground I will be a very happy old playworker.
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground? A massive open covered outdoor kitchen with a giant dishwasher and all the modern gadgets you could think of, including a food training area for our young people. It would have to be slap bang in the middle playground, as they say “the kitchen is the heart of the home”
Noodles or toasties? Bombay Bad Boy Toastie, with extra chilli.
Name: Alan Kennedy
Official job title: Play Team Co-ordinator
Unofficial job title: Gaston
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP): In my free time I enjoy a range of hobbies including Cycling, Drone flying, weight training , football and I also love a gadget or two. I am a very family orientated person and love spending time with my crazy family and partner. I am a massive fan of the great outdoors and spend as much time as I can out of the city.
How long have you worked at BSAP: I have worked and volunteered with BSAP from 2013/14
What is your favourite thing about working here? Being able to provide a safe haven for anyone who needs it.
Who is your favourite animal? John Gotti one of the gangster turtles. We have had john for some time now and along with his friend Vito Corleone he is always causing subaquatic mischief.
What or who inspires you in your work? I am inspired every day by the work of our team(staff and volunteers). They are always willing to go above and beyond to meet the specific needs of our attendees. Even throughout a global pandemic they have kept their spirits high. The team have spent the best part of a year digging in and making it work. The positive impact they have on a daily basis is intangible.
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground? If I had unlimited resources I would build a bespoke building on the playground. This building would be 100% accessible, eco friendly and wouldn't need me to be constantly fixing something 😃 . I would hope this could support our whole programme and enable us to engage with our local community in host of different ways. There would be an indoor space to provide our outdoor nursery with much needed shelter in times of severe weather and a separate entrance to allow locals to access our food hub. Our playground has quickly become a beacon of community spirit and every aspect of our new building should reflect this.
Noodles or toasties? Stovies
Name: Laura Harrison
Official Job Title: Playworker with responsibility for accessibility and diversity.
Unofficial job title: The veggie
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside bsap):I have too many hobbies and enjoy finding unusual ways to occupy my time. I enjoy longboarding, circus acrobatics, calisthenics, camping in my van and exploring Scotland, sewing, walking the dog and spending time with family and friends!
How long have you worked at bsap? 3 years
What is your favourite thing about working here? The team are brilliant, I've never worked with a staff team that's felt like such a loving yet mildly dysfunctional family. No day is every the same at Baltic Street -I'm kept on my toes!
Who is your favourite animal? Of course George is my all time forever favourite, however I also love the rabbits and guinea pigs, in particular Daddy and Rosie!
What or who inspires you in your work? I find the local kids super inspiring, especially the core group of girls I see regularly. They come up with ideas for the playground that would never have crossed our minds and are so keen to help and be involved in any way.
If you have unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground? I would build a crazy obstacle course that would challenge everyone both physically and mentally. To get through it you would have to climb over, around and under and also work out mental problems along the way.
Noodles or toasties? Noodles purely because they don't require as much cleaning up after! But I'll happily demolish noodles and toasties and any other food that's offered to me!
Name: Andy Flett
Official job title: Sessional worker focusing on music and assisting with food hub
Unofficial job title: Head of the ‘Running away from Alan and Robert’ department and Chief Sand Pit inspector
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP): I work for various charities supporting adults and children and trying to bring people together with music. In my spare time I write, record and perform music, read books and play football.
How long have you worked at BSAP? 2 and a half years
What is your favourite thing about working here? Seeing wee kids get to try guitar for first time
Who is your favourite animal? guinea pigs
What or who inspires you in your work? My Mum
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground?
A giant music box
Noodles or toasties? Toasties
Name: Victoria Scott
Official job title: Early Years Playworker
Unofficial job title: Tidier/Mover/Finder of things?
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP):
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One of the first time I was involved in working with younger children was when I volunteered as a leader at my local youth club as a teenager and have been involved in supporting children, young people and families ever since. I think this is because I haven’t lost my child like enthusiasm for adventures and trying new things!
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Being outdoors exploring new places, discovering new things, conserving local parks and spaces, and sharing my experiences with others are lifelong passions. Being outdoors keeps me and those I care about healthy and happy and walking my dog, exploring my local greenspace, chilled beaches days, calm forests walks & having a cuppa round a firepit/bowl is when I’m happiest.
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If I get the chance, I also love live gigs, dancing, arts & crafts, home design & baking treats!
How long have you worked at BSAP?
Started 1st May 2018…… so 2 years 9 months??
What is your favourite thing about working here?
Seeing the children realise they have full autonomy at the park and watching how they develop & of course all the banter, laughs & giggles!
Who is your favourite animal?
Dani, Pepper and Rosie!
What or who inspires you in your work?
I get inspiration from every single person I’ve had the pleasure to meet, in their own unique way. The children inspire me to stay playful. The parents/carers inspire me by the way they juggle all that is thrown at them and have unlimited reserves. The community resilience inspires me by way they look out for each other. The selflessness and giving nature of all our volunteers inspires me. Last but no means the BSAP team inspire me to really celebrate my individuality, value the teams diversity and see every challenge as an opportunity to grow!
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground?
It would have to be a tree top trail with chill out pod & zip slide.
Noodles or toasties?
Defo toasties!
Name: Hamish Orr
Official job title: Early Years Playworker
Unofficial job title: Hamish, Breaker of locks, Loser of keys
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP): I love learning stuff and I have loads of weird qualifications but I still CAN’T DRIVE
How long have you worked at BSAP?
Nearly 3 Years
What is your favourite thing about working here?
The rest of the team , never have I worked with a bunch of better (or stranger) folk.
Who is your favourite animal?
George or the guinea pigs
What or who inspires you in your work?
The kids inspire me, they live their lives to the max and I’m so here for that.
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground?
A massive underground tunnel/den system
Noodles or toasties?
100% toasties
Name: Jeanette Donnelly
Official job title: Finance and Evaluation Assistant
Unofficial job title: Robert’s ToDo List Maker
Tell us a bit about yourself (life outside BSAP): I originally come from Motherwell but have lived in the East End for nearly 30 years. The scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life was sky diving – which involved jumping out of a plane at 13,000ft, still shudder when I think about it!
How long have you worked at BSAP?
3 months
What is your favourite thing about working here?
The playground feels like it’s at the heart of the community I live in. And the animals. And the banter
Who is your favourite animal?
Don’t make me choose between a dog or a cat – I can’t
What or who inspires you in your work?
Don’t want to sound like I’m sooking up but Robert inspires me, he calmly deals with things while I run about screaming and pulling my hair out.
If you had unlimited resources what structure would you build on the playground?
A zip wire with a big giant chocolate fountain at the end.
Noodles or toasties?
Noodles every time