My brother, Mark Gladwin, who has died aged 71, was a respected figure in the field of children’s play, particularly in the areas of theory, strategy and training.
After many years in the voluntary sector he took a job as a participation officer at a Children’s Society project in Leeds, and from 2002 until his retirement in 2011 he worked for Bradford council, where he wrote its strategy, All to Play For, and trained and supported workers.
Passionate about the importance of children taking risks as a necessary part of their development, he belonged to a number of organisations devoted to the promotion of play, and at the time of his death was still an active member of Play England, a body that campaigns to increase opportunities for young people.
Born in London, Mark was the youngest child of the Australian journalist Peter Gladwin and his British wife, Irene (nee Packard), a press cuttings librarian. Brought up in Surrey, Mark attended the Royal Grammar school, Guildford, and met his future wife, Ann Burrett, when they were both at school. On a scholarship he went to Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics.
From 1969 to 1976 he was a research fellow then lecturer in social policy at York University. After teacher training in 1977 he taught in primary schools before filling various roles, from 1982 to 1998, at York Playspace, including as a coordinator and a trainer.
A man of integrity and an inspiration to those who knew him, Mark was a firm believer in the value of local action: among his many practical initiatives was the founding of a local branch of the Woodcraft Folk in York, where he and Ann lived. He was a member of the Labour party and of CND, a committed republican, an advocate of electoral reform and latterly an anti-Brexit campaigner.
He is survived by Ann, their children, Tom, Alice and Laura, and six grandchildren, and by his sisters, Gail and me.
