Our News Category Single: London play news

A Hackney adventure playground has ‘outplayed’ others from across the capital to win the title of London Adventure Playground of the Year 2023. Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground was one of 16 shortlisted in the London Adventure Play Awards last week to join the hotly-anticipated annual event run by the charity London Play.

Entries to the awards are in the form of two-minute films, made by children. The group from Shakespeare Walk (affectionately known as SWAPA) were among around 250 excited kids and supporters who converged on the Prince Charles Cinema in London’s West End on Thursday, to see the short films they had made about the places they love to play up on the big screen, enjoy a bit of pandemonium – and find out if they had won prizes.

SWAPA’s winning film featured an original soundtrack, made by children in their on-site sound studio. It played over footage of kids building with tools, lighting fires, climbing, swinging, sliding, putting on impromptu shows, playing in the snow, dressing up and joyfully messing about.  Molly Mae aged 12 summed up what she likes about SWAPA: “I like the staff. I like the adventures!” Her friend said: “The best thing about SWAPA is making friends, getting to know other people and taking a break from what’s happening at home.”

In true adventure playground style, there was plenty of fun, games and messing about during the awards event with compere Charlie keeping the atmosphere just the right side of chaos.

Nitasha, chair of trustees at Shakespeare Walk said:

“It was such a joy, so much great energy, I’ve never seen a cinema transformed the way it was, truly a wonderful adventure playground event. I can’t believe we’ve won; the team has worked really hard this year and I really feel like they deserve it. I am so pleased for them.”

Awards were also made in three categories: Best Flick (best film); Weird and Wonderful; and Playworker Dream Team.

A group of budding documentary makers (left) from Triangle Adventure Playground in Lambeth won ‘Best Flick’. Their film showed children playing on the giant rope swings and zipline; roasting marshmallows over a fire; and even enjoying an overnight camp – all in the inner-city neighbourhood where the playground is based.  Asked what she enjoyed about Triangle, one young adventurer in play said: “Well, I see all my friends, I get to play, and I get to play for how long I want.”

Gabriel Green, deputy senior playworker, Triangle Adventure Playground said:

“Triangle Adventure Playground was absolutely delighted to win the Best Flick Award at London Play’s Adventure Playground of the Year awards 2023. It is a special and unique occasion each year that really makes a difference to promoting the vital importance of the work that adventure playgrounds do.”

Children at The Markfield Project in Haringey won the ‘Weird and Wonderful’ category with their film epic featuring the death – and resurrection – of Spongebob Squarepants. Weird you say? Yep. Finally, the team at Islington’s Barnard Adventure Playground  took the ‘Playworker Dream Team’ award. All those shortlisted in that category had their ‘dream team’ credentials tested during the event, with one game requiring playworkers to submit to children dressing them up for a very out-there fashion show: catwalk compulsory!

London is known as the adventure playground capital of the world; these unique child-led places began on bombsites in the aftermath of WWII and tend to be located in the least affluent areas of the city. In the 1980s London had over 100 staffed adventure playgrounds; today only 70 remain, with 12 having closed in the last decade alone.

Fiona Sutherland, director of London Play said:

“These annual awards are a joyous occasion that we look forward to hosting every year. The children’s creativity and enthusiasm is fantastic to see. But there is a very serious side to this! London’s staffed adventure playgrounds are a lifeline for communities. They allow children space, time and freedom to have fun, explore, challenge and express themselves – building skills, resilience and improving mental and physical health along the way. But despite the amazing work that SWAPA, Triangle and others do, they tend to fly under the radar. Funding is scarce, and most are in a constant fight for survival. Yes, these awards are about celebrating adventure playgrounds and the children who play there – but they are also about raising awareness of their value and building support to secure their future.”

 Films will be available shortly on Youtube @londonplaychannel 

Download the press release below for more information. For media enquiries and high-resolution pictures of the event or the winning playgrounds please contact Fiona Sutherland via info@londonplay.org.uk.

London Play has joined academics and other play campaigners in calling on the government to support ‘a summer of play’ to help children recover from the stress of lockdown and a year of Covid upheaval.

Instead of extra lessons, catch-up summer schools and longer school days, we believe that children should be encouraged to spend the coming months outdoors, being physically active and having fun with their friends.

As the Guardian reported:

Psychologists have reported behavioural changes in some children following the first lockdown last year. After months of isolation from friends, some struggled to share and play together, teachers reported more fights and fallings-out, and Ofsted observed a worrying drop in physical fitness.

As the government draws up its latest education catch-up plans, to be unveiled in the coming weeks, a group of academics calling themselves PlayFirstUK have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, appealing for a new emphasis on play, mental health and wellbeing as children emerge from lockdown.

“This spring and summer should not be filled with extra lessons,” the letter says. “Children, teachers and parents need time and space to recover from the stress that the past year has placed on them.

As part of a wider recovery process, children should be encouraged and supported to spend time outdoors, playing with other children and being physically active. Where it is needed, evidence-based mental health support must be made available.”

It continues: “This is not an either-or decision. Social connection and play offer myriad learning opportunities and are positively associated with children’s academic attainment and literacy.”

The group cautioned that intensive “catch-up” plans, intended to help pupils make up lost ground as a result of the pandemic, could end up worsening children’s mental health and wellbeing, and have a negative effect on learning in the long term.

Read more here

LONDON: Leading insurer Zurich has promised to review its decision to withdraw insurance cover from two of the capital’s adventure playgrounds.

Zurich had declined to renew cover for Glamis and Hornimans Adventure Playgrounds despite their long ‘no claim’ histories, sparking fears that other playgrounds would be next and mass closures could ensue.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was alarmed enough to call on Zurich to reconsider.He wrote: “London benefits from having more adventure playgrounds than any other city. I am therefore concerned about the possible removal of insurance cover from some adventure playgrounds and the wider implications that this could have across London’s neighbourhoods and communities.”

Following his intervention, Zurich, London Play and Play England, Zurich met, resulting in the release of a joint statement: “Following a constructive discussion between Zurich Municipal, Play England & London Play, Zurich Municipal has agreed to revisit its decision to not invite insurance renewal for some of their adventure playground customers. It was acknowledged and appreciated by Play England & London Play that Zurich Municipal currently insures, and remains committed to supporting adventure playgrounds and play parks across the UK and London. Zurich Municipal will be working with Play England, London Play & other stakeholders to explore the opportunities to establish an adventure playgrounds quality standard.”

Mayor Sadiq Khan commented. “Adventure playgrounds make a big contribution to London life – providing spaces for children to be active and bringing communities together.That’s why I called on Zurich Insurance to meet with Play England and London Play to discuss the insurance of these vital spaces, and I’m delighted that they have had constructive discussions about making sure they can stay open.”

July 2020

With residential camps on hold during the pandemic, Camp Build is being brought to the children safely bubbled up on London’s adventure playgrounds.

Camp Build on Tour

 

Adventure playgrounds may have closed their gates to children in person, but two months into lockdown, it is clear that they are not resting on their laurels. Two thirds of the adventure playground organisations which responded to London Play’s recent survey report that they are now delivering new services, with many becoming vital hubs for food distribution. Others are moving their play offer online and some are delivering emergency play packs to their most vulnerable families.

As demand for food banks soar, the team at Max Roach Adventure Playground in Lambeth is delivering ‘happy lunches’ and play packs by bicycle to their most vulnerable users. Nearby Grove Adventure Playground is also using two wheels to deliver food parcels while Haringey’s Somerford Grove has seen a big increase in demand for the fresh surplus food it is distributing from the Felix Project .

Adaptations
Other adventure playgrounds have adapted their play services – with some, in particular those catering specifically for children with special needs, opening on a very limited (often family by family) basis over recent weeks. These include Haringey’s Markfield, Haywards in Islington, The Ark in Newham and Kids Adventure Playground in Hackney and all have put in place rigorous cleaning regimes and updated risk assessments.

For playgrounds whose gates remain closed, ingenuity in developing online play ideas and resources is much in evidence. In Islington, Awesome CIC has set up the ‘Adventurers Hangout’ featuring a treasure trove of films with playful ideas. From Lambeth, the Triangle Play Zone offers children a weekly timetable with Zoom and Houseparty play and games sessions, nature club activities and videos, fitness and boxing sessions. Weekly challenge videos are a highlight, including Toilet roll kick ups and paper plane flying. And who could fail to raise a smile with Redbridge’s ELHAP Monday morning disco this week?

Social distancing
But as one survey respondent pointed out, these online initiatives “do not replace play,” and adventure playground teams, concerned about children being stuck inside for so long, are keen to welcome them back in person as soon as possible. There are big questions about how social distancing will be implemented when playgrounds are able to open again and whether such limitations on play will in fact be counterproductive to children’s wellbeing. Triangle trustee Anne-Marie Martin said: “Clearly attendance will be limited, and it is hard to reconcile the ethos of adventure play with social distancing, but I am sure we will find a way.”

In the meantime, although 80 per cent of playground organisations have had to furlough workers, a majority of those still working are using the time away from running physical face to face sessions to ensure that they are in a strong position when they are able to resume; writing funding proposals and carrying out essential maintenance on their playgrounds.

Says Harriet Simmons, manager of the Adventure Play Hub: “Our playground has had some much needed TLC and we’ve been working with volunteers on re-decorating and other repairs. We’ve attended funding opportunities and support/advice cluster meetings via Zoom which has been very useful.”

The most happening adventure playground in London is ELHAP in Redbridge, it was announced today.

The special needs playground was named London Adventure Playground of the Year 2019 at a noisy, messy, joyous event in central London.

The 2019 London Adventure Play Awards saw around 150 experts in play – children – converge on the Prince Charles Cinema to watch short films they had made about the places they love to play up on the big screen. Children are in charge at any good adventure playground and the ELHAP film raised squeals of delight from the young audience with its messy scenes of compliant playworkers being doused in paint, slime and other disgusting goo by children that play there.

Islington’s Timbuktu Adventure Playground scooped the ‘Coolest Place to Play’ award with its film featuring tree climbing, fire building and a lovely dance-off scene to an upbeat soundtrack; while borough-mate Three Corners Adventure Playground took the ‘All Inclusive Award’ and Hackney’s Homerton Grove won ‘Best Flick’ at the annual event today.

Eleven adventure playgrounds were shortlisted for awards and children from the 2018 winners, Triangle Adventure Playground, were the judges. Of ELHAP they commented approvingly: “They get to make the playworkers wet and dirty.” This was also seen as a major plus by the children who play there. Shereen, 10 said: “I can get really, really messy and make slime and throw paint at all the staff!” The winning prize will see ELHAP children and staff working with APES Adventure Playground Engineers to design and build a new play structure with £500 of free materials.

Enfield’s Kynaston Road was named London’s Play Street of the Year with a low-key film showing the simple pleasures of playing in a traffic-free street, even when it rains. Tia, 7 said: “I like play street because you get to ride your bike and play on the road. It’s my favourite in the summer when it doesn’t rain. I want to live on the street forever and be the person who looks after play street with my friends.” The movie-style ‘clapper board’ award came with a prize of £100 for play equipment for the street.

Other prizes were donated by Marks Barfield (a trip in a private pod on the London Eye); and Timberplay (a den building kit) – to the delight of the young winners. But no one missed out! Along with the chance to see their films there was plenty of popcorn, noise, games and high jinks with compere Charlie keeping things just on the right side of chaos.

London Play’s chair, Melian Mansfield said: “Congratulations to ELHAP, Three Corners, Timbuktu and Homerton Grove adventure playgrounds on their awards – and also to Kynaston Road. Thank you too, for showing us what all children deserve: access to high quality, adventurous play in their communities and on their doorsteps. These annual awards remind us how important it is to protect them for future generations.”

LAMBETH: BIG KID Foundation is poised to sign a 10-year lease on Dexter Adventure Playground in Brixton.

Some 19 community groups submitted tenders for the site in Railton Road. BIGKID has been operating in Lambeth for ten years and has a strong track record of delivering youth-led community projects.

Cllr Jane Pickard, Deputy Cabinet Member, said: “This is great news as I know how important it is for people in Brixton to have this site meeting their needs. BIGKID presented an exciting and sustainable business plan which will bring fresh life to this site and ensure that it becomes a place the local children, young people and families can be proud of. I’m really looking forward to it fully re-opening.”

The council is currently in the process completing its handover to BIGKID, before services can swiftly get up and running.

Shaninga Marasha, BIGKID founder and CEO, said: “BIGKID is really delighted to be taking over Dexter Adventure Playground. It’s a great site which is well loved by the community and it has so much to offer. It’s a huge honour to have been chosen to take it on and we are grateful to everyone who supported our bid.

“We are really looking forward to working with local young people and their families to deliver some excellent needs-led activities including sports, youth club and adventure play sessions. Make sure you come and visit us.”