Words by Smiley Team
A group of working parents with young children in Epping, Essex, who believe in the importance of free, outdoor play have launched a campaign to redevelop their local playground.
The Epping Playground Association was set up in 2019 and is led by five parent volunteers. It was established after the parents realised the playground was underused and there wasn’t funding available from the local town council to improve the facilities.
All volunteers want to ensure every child in Epping has access to good quality, modern, and exciting play spaces - and are now working alongside Epping Town Council to help regenerate the Lower Swaines Recreation Ground.
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Currently, their playground is completely underused, as the equipment is really tired and unsafe. Lockdown has been tough on children, and volunteers want to create this space to help them recover. Their aim is to raise £120,000 for a fully renovated play area.
"The play area has so much potential," the association said. "It’s in a densely populated part of Epping, next to a large primary school and close to two special educational needs schools. It’s next to a much loved nature reserve and a new housing estate but it’s underused. The playground is tired and in dire need of repair."
Using a holistic approach, the plans allow for the consideration of children of all ages and abilities. “We wanted to create a play space that allows the children to progress through the site as their age, abilities and confidence grows, and allows them to do so," they said.
"The southwest corner of the site is the toddler zone, with the focus being on 0-6 year olds, and as you move through the site, the intended age range and challenge increases to include up to 10 years."
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“Once you move to outside of the fence line, the equipment is intended for 12 years +, with the static street workout system providing exercise for all ages. Overall, this zonal approach creates a play area that everyone will want to keep visiting as there is always the next item they want to achieve and progress to.”
It’s also hoped that the space can have a focus on sports and recreation, as they found girls tend to drop out of Sports and Recreation during their teenage years.
You can find out more and donate to the Epping Playground Project here.
