Our community deserves a playground to be proud of, one that encourages them to spend time in their local park instead of travelling further afield. A ‘destination playground’ will give our local families somewhere to spend hours not minutes. It would also become the heart of our park.
Our current equipment is not very exciting, it doesn't spark the imagination, or stretch a child's ability. It is not inclusive enough and the playground is well past its sell-by date. In fact replacement parts are not even available for it anymore.
The new equipment will be mainly a hard wearing wooden construction. Providing a wow-factor, whilst remaining in keeping with the natural feel of Manor Park. An adventure theme will provide a whole new world for our children and grand-children to discover.
It will be completed in two phases, with the funds raised from this crowdfund campaign delivering the first phase. The second phase will add extra equipment, boulders, seating and planting.
What we'll deliver:
- Decommission the existing playground.
- Provide an adventure play area for older children- with all new equipment
- Provide a play area for younger children which stimulates their imagination - with all new equipment
- Provide new seating which are visually more in keeping with the park
- Create new paths within the playgrounds
- Lay new safety surfaces
- Supply new fencing (reusing as much existing fencing as possible)
- Plant new trees and soft planting
Why it's a great idea:
Manor Park desperately needs a new playground. Kingston Council are collaborating with us and have guaranteed £140,000 to part fund the project, which will enable us to create a truly amazing playground for our community.
More local families would benefit directly from it, as would the park as a whole. There are many living locally in flats with no gardens, for whom getting outside for exercise, mental stimulation, fresh air, family bonding and imaginary play is all the more important.
A high-quality playground will encourage families to spend more time in the park, perhaps staying longer to picnic, play sport, and explore the full benefits of our wooded 25-acre park.
The type and mixture of equipment is important. It will strike a balance between being imaginative, challenging and more inclusive. By having a GREAT playground, not just an OK playground we will ensure that it is well used and well loved for years to come. A place our community can be proud of.
Steps to get it done:
- Hold workshops/forums/ community meetings to finalise designs. Estimated Summer 2020
- Decommission old playground. Estimated Nov 2020
- Recycle existing fencing and gates and add new. Estimated Dec 2020
- Plant trees and shrubs. Estimated Dec 2020
- Install equipment. Estimated Dec 2020
- New safety surfaces laid. Estimated Dec 2020
- Safety checks- Estimated Jan 2021
- Official opening- Estimated Jan 2021
N.B. The Gallery photos are merely examples of the equipment possible, no designs are finalised.
This playground is Phase 2 of a larger regeneration project called 'Revivify Manor Park'
We have completed Phase 1, which raised funds including £15,000 from the Mayor of London, to design a vision for the future of Manor Park, which we plan to deliver in phases over a 5-7 year period.
Phase 2 - 'Our New Playground' - will demonstrate that this wonderful 25-acre park is going to be something special for our community, while still remaining a much loved and abundant area for nature and wildlife. We intend to do the bulk of the work with this £200,000 bid and then add additional elements such as some extra play items, more trees/plants, boulders etc once further funds have been raised.
The total playground cost over both phases, is likely to be between £250,000 and £300,000, depending on the final design chosen by the community following public consultations.
