Picture taking your children to the playground, their eyes lighting up at wonders that surround them; the roundabout, the swing, the slide. There is so much to entertain, their little minds brimming with so much joy they do not know where to go first.

Now imagine walking up to the gates and finding a few pieces of out-of-dated, tired looking, unsafe, rusty and boring looking equipment? 5 pieces of apparatus tops and out of them only one you feel safe letting your child play on.

Now imagine walking up to the gates with your child, all excited and instead of seeing happiness on your child’s face, you see nothing but sadness and disappointment as once again, you have come to another park, with inaccessible equipment your disabled child is unable to play on.

The park at Kenyngton Manor is just that, out-dated, tired and in desperate need of updating and most importantly inaccessible.

That was when a group of mums decided enough was enough and started the fight for a new playground.

Speaking to Hazel Osborn, from the Friends of Kenyngton Manor Park she said, ‘Playgrounds are not just a ‘nice to have’, they are an essential part of every community, every family and every childhood'.

The ‘Friends of Kenyngton Manor Park’ association have been campaigning tirelessly for the past few years, gaining major support from the community. Their social media engagement is increasing daily.

Learning of the project, I wanted to make sure that those children with disabilities had been catered for. Taking to email, I was quick to receive a response and the very next day I was meeting the team.  

Getting into the playground in my wheels, was my first challenge due to there being no path, so even if the play equipment already there was accessible, getting into the playground wasn’t. Driving over very bumpy ground, gaining whiplash on the way in.

My mind was soon put to rest when I saw their vision. Hazel went on to say ‘Our aim is to promote all types of play, enabling children to develop physically, social-emotionally and cognitive-creatively in a safe environment. The park is also not accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs, so we aim to make the park as inclusive as possible by adding in a path directly to the playground and more inclusive play equipment'.

The playground needs the support not only from the local community but from the wider community also. Our children deserve to have a safe place to play, to build, but we need your help. Every email, every new follower, every new like is an act of support.

It is not fair that our parks in the 21^st century are not inclusive for all. Why should children be left out? Why do we have to tell our sons, our daughters, sorry you cannot go to the park, the people at the council don’t think you are worthy enough. Because that is what they are really saying!

The answer from the people in charge, there is one 5 miles down the road. In the current cost of living crisis, parents can no longer afford to drive their children miles down the road to find another park. They deserve the one that is a walk around the corner, the one on their doorstep, the one their friends are play at, to be updated.

Hazel also expressed ‘Kenyngton Manor Primary school is next to the park and the 400+ children would make use of the park after school. We also need to replace the existing youth shelter and have this placed further away from the play area to reduce antisocial behaviour and make the park cleaner and safer for all’.

To Support Kenyngton Manor Park to have a playground that is not only safe, fun, interactive but also inclusive for all please get use the links below. 

Let's get out children playing safe.

Let’s get #AccessibilisingBritian

Written By Victoria-Jayne Scholes.

Link to Friends of Kenyngton Manor Park Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1176057369463439/permalink/1468572410211932

Link to Friends of Kenyngton Manor Park Twitter Page –

https://twitter.com/KenyngtonOf

Or write a letter of support to –

Friendsofkmpark@yahoo.com