A charity has released a new comic book portraying the real-life experiences of children in the playground.

‘Stories From The Playground’ is a collection of illustrated stories chronicling the life, adventures and tales of everyday playfulness at Lester’s Yard Adventure Playground in Douglas.

Isle of Play is an island charity that specialises in delivering and developing play opportunities for children, and has a number of different locations and projects across the island including Lester’s Yard, which is this year celebrating its sixth anniversary.

A spokesperson from Isle of Play commented: ‘Lester’s Yard has established itself to local children as a place where their play can be free, imaginative and unrestricted from the constraints of adult agendas.

‘The stories within the comic book are all based on true events captured by the Isle of Play team and illustrated by local artist Adam Berry.

‘Aiming to highlight the importance of play in children’s lives and the work of Isle of Play, the stories range from the profound to the ridiculous.

‘In one story, we learn of a mother’s struggles to let her child play without her being present for fear of hurting themselves, only to find that when she starts to let go, the benefits are more wide ranging than she could have ever imagined.

‘Meanwhile, another story expresses the unbridled simplicity and joy of a young boy who loves nothing more than covering himself in mud and transforming into a “mud monster”.’

Chris Gregory, CEO at Isle of Play, said: ‘We wanted to capture and share the essence of everyday playfulness of Lester’s Yard and what better way for a children’s play charity to do so than through a comic book.

‘There is so much we can learn about the value of play in children’s lives and about ourselves through reflecting on these stories.’

Chris went on to explain that he had received several invites to talk about the comic, including an upcoming UK conference as well as an online global play conference.

He added: ‘It’s humbling to see interest in the comic has spread so far and so rapidly. The comic medium has really captured the imagination of people, and I hope there is at least one story that everyone can relate to.

‘Our vision is to make the island a place where play is valued and supported by all.’

As well as Lester’s Yard, Isle of Play currently has three other projects which are currently ongoing across the island.

This includes; ‘PlayingOut’, a free to access mobile playscheme that travels around the island to local parks, glens and school playgrounds; ‘Forest School’, which works with primary schools to give whole classes of children access to woodland environments; and ‘Adventure Playground’, which is soon to open and will be dedicated solely to children’s play.

‘Stories From The Playground’ is available at locations across the island such as at the Sea Terminal and at doctors and surgery waiting areas.

If you’d like copies for your waiting room or reception area, then you can email Chris Gregory at [email protected]