MAYOW PARK PLAYGROUND is open

 In time for the school holidays, the newly rebuilt playground in Mayow Park is open.  Well done to the people from Kompan, the company that won the tender to rebuild. Thanks go to Glendale, the contractor that manages the park on behalf of London Borough of Lewisham.  Thank you to Lewisham's parks department for agreeing to this project. And let's remember that the project would never have got off the ground without the tenacity and determination of Friends of Mayow Park (FOMP). 

FOMP volunteers with young children started a consultation process SIX years ago with other parents. This led to research into most suitable (but not necessarily cheapest) equipment to meet the needs of children - different ages, different physical and different learning needs.  We visited other parks. We looked at equipment from different play providers. One parent offered to work on funding applications - she had a vested interest as she lives nearby and wanted equipment for her children. The pandemic put plans on hold for two years . . . 

We look forward to feedback from  those older children who have waited patiently for this positive outcome.. 

Toddlers up to 11 year olds will be able to climb, slide, spin, balance, explore, create imaginary stories and become pretend characters as they play in and among the new equipment.  

There are still  things to sort out  including a few metres of missing fencing along the back where a tree fell, A bench will be added in time, which will be paid for and donated by Friends of Mayow Park. 

Hopefully other issues that may arise will be small and easily sorted. 

PHOTOS: Note that the four 'mushrooms', the spinner and the circus box office have been retained.

the mushrooms have been kept

The circus box office is still there

And here are a few more photos.

Playground update 11th Dec 2023

 A few photos from today. The equipment is taking shape. 

Latest playground progress photos

 Photos taken on Thursday 7th December 2023 - equipment installation has started. The photos say it all - the playground is beginning to take shape.

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 3 - sharing the news with local children

 The nearest primary school to the park is Adamsrill Primary School.

Sandra the Kompan project manager arranged for Adamsrill School Council students to visit on Monday 4th December. Fifteen pupils from year 1 to year 6, with two members of staff, came to meet Sandra and the construction team, to ask some very good questions about the facilities which would be installed.At this point they could only see a building site but some of the design plans were available on the fences. 

Above all, they wanted to know how long the rebuild would take and they were pleasantly surprised to learn that if the weather is not too harsh and if equipment safety inspections take place, then play could resume before Christmas.  Such good news.

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 2

 After the Covid lockdowns and the re-opening of public spaces, it took time to build momentum and to start the funding applications process again. That same parent with fund-raising ambitions was willing to try again. Other parents came together to offer support but time was the real barrier for working parents. We were fortunate that Lewisham’s park department offered communities a funding opportunity for green spaces and children’s facilities, using the levy they charge developers on building developments.

Our bid to Lewisham was successful but we needed matched funding to achieve a whole-playground rebuild.  Veolia*, the waste management company, had funds  that we were eligible to apply for. . .  And success!

 With sufficient funds sourced, Lewisham could now approve the process for demolition and rebuild. Glendale’s managers put the project out to tender and Kompan** won the contract.  Their overall design included most of the wishes of the parents including access for children in wheelchairs and for children with sensory needs. Some children expressed further wishes to keep a few bits of much-loved play equipment in the under-5s section.

The designs - based on the survey results

And after all the build-up, finally on 29^th November 2023 the demolition started.

 Additional wishes voiced by some parents and which would have been ideal but not practical included new toilet facilities. There are toilets at the eastern side of the park beside the café; but infrastructure to lay water and sewerage services to the western side of the park would not be feasible at this time.

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*Veolia community funding    https://www.veoliatrust.org/funding/

** Kompan     https://www.kompan.com/en/gb  

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 1

 The suspense had been mounting. Six years after Friends of Mayow Park carried out our first online and face-to-face paper surveys on the children’s playground (started in 2017) , it looked like our dreams might actually happen.

2017 Summer: we started our survey designed to continue for months, no hurry, so we could reach more parents. Overwhelmingly, a new playground was the wish. Some of the equipment (swings in particular) had been there decades. The large wooden multi-climb  frame had arrived in the late 1990s and we estimated most of the other equipment came from that time too. High time the kids got quality equipment. Necessary repairs to some equipment were ongoing.

repairing the popular see-saw

What did parents want?

• Activities for toddlers including imaginative play, using sight, touch and sound
• Activities for those aged 5+ to play with friends
• Activities to challenge children up to the age of 11
• And activities should include balancing, climbing, swinging, pulling, sliding, sharing, twisting, jumping, a little bit of risk-taking, a sensory trail,  team-work, a space to sit on the grass, seating for adults.

What did the children want? They wanted more of the same sorts of equipment but better and more imaginative, with space to run around.

Clearly this was going to be an expensive ask. A group of parents came together to start the process but progress was so slow in those early stages that it seemed the project would flounder. One parent came forward willing to apply to big funders and made a start on applications. Quite impressive research went into applications and we had a quiet confidence of a  successful  outcome.

We were supported by Glendale, the firm that manages most of Lewisham’s parks. The Glendale managers wanted us to succeed, to be able to access funds. Lewisham’s parks department also gave advice and help.

But then came two years when everything stopped . . . and we all remember the effect that Covid 19 had on communities everywhere.