One day, residential streets will be places where people expect to find children playing and drive accordingly. But until then, the most important job on a play street – apart from making sure the tea doesn’t run out of course – is that of marshal, or steward.

To keep everyone safe, volunteers must be stationed at the road closure points for the duration of your play street sessions.  Most of the time this job will involve drinking tea and watching the action, perhaps catching up on a bit of neighbourhood news. But as some – but not all – cars are allowed to access the street during the session, as gatekeepers of the street, stewards do need a bit of skill and understanding under their belt. Look no further than our handy fact sheet, downloadable below!

Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to don a hi vis vest and blow a whistle? Ideally, you will have a small pool of adults (and sometimes older teenagers) who are willing to take turns as stewards on your regular play street sessions.

Our info sheet covers all scenarios that stewards can encounter, offers helpful tips and strategies for dealing with the occasional difficult situation.