“As a parent as well as a psychologist, I recognise the time pressures that are on both parents and children. Sometimes, in our attempt to create fulfilled and rewarding childhoods for our children, we can overlook that basic ingredient for a happy child: play,” commented Dr Papadopoulos.

“Children need space and time to work through the life skills they are developing every day, and play enables this. But also, like all of us, children sometimes just need a break, so I’m completely supportive of the Make Time 2 Play campaign and what it stands for and I look forward to exploring different themes over the coming year, ” she continued.

Natasha Crookes from the BTHA commented: “We are delighted to have Dr Papadopoulos join us on our campaign. Although the basic argument is a simple one, there are a number of more complex issues that arise when discussing play and we’re confident that we have an ambassador that can help us discuss those issues in depth but with the clarity of vision that she brings to all of the issues that she tackles.”