News Item (11-05-2009)

King Georges Field Playscape, Hanwell, was formally opened on Saturday 9^th May. Everyone was welcome to enjoy the celebrations and experience this exciting and innovative new play space.

During 2007 Groundwork London won a hat trick of national design awards for their Groundwork Playscape Show Garden, including an RHS Gold at Hampton Court, BBC Peoples Choice Award and Landscape Institute Presentation Award for their innovative Playscape approach to play space design. Since winning these awards the Groundwork team have been busy working with forward thinking local authorities, supportive funders, local communities and like-minded fellow professionals to create this flagship Playscape project in Ealing, west London.

The Playscape approach illustrates how the entire landscape can offer play value rather than simply relying on springy chickens, rubber impact surfacing and bow top fencing. The use of tunnels, boulders, trees and grassy mounds combined with popular play equipment such as swings and slides creates a playful landscape offering reasonable risk and a bagful of exciting challenges for the user.

During the design development at Hanwell, the Groundwork London team have involved the local young people in a number of activities such as design workshop sessions and visits to tree nurseries and local play spaces to explore what's already out there! Pupils from local primary school St Marks have been involved throughout the entire process of this new development by contributing their ideas and painting the surrounding hoarding whilst building work took place.

Groundwork London, with funding from Biffaward a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services and additional funding from the Veolia and SITA Environmental Trust, is creating this natural play space in Ealing, West London. The project is being evaluated over the next six months by the University of Sheffield and will form the exemplar flagship project for the new Groundwork UK ‘Playing it Naturally' BIFFAWARD funded programme.

Biffaward's Programme Manager, Gillian French, says, "Biffaward recognises the importance of the Playing it Naturally programme as a beacon for natural play. Britain's children and Groundwork need support in order to create opportunities for healthier play, and Biffaward is delighted to be able to provide this."

The Executive Director of The Veolia Environment Trust, Margaret Cobbold, says, "The Trust works to support community and environmental projects across the UK. Play areas such as this have a valuable role in our communities and we are happy to be supporting the Playing It Naturally space at King George's Field."

Ealing Council Executive Director for Environment and Customer Services, Keith Townsend, said: "This is a great new facility for the local community. The play space is fantastic and I'm sure the children of Hanwell will enjoy it. Improving facilities to help children to have fun and be more active is really important.  New, exciting play spaces such as this one give youngsters hours of free enjoyment by incorporating new equipment with the surrounding environment."

Principal Landscape Architect Adam White who led the project from Groundwork London says, "It has certainly been a long journey to create this truly exciting and challenging Playscape with the community of Hanwell. Fellow designer Andrée Davies and I are grateful for the involvement, support and patience that has been shown by the funders, council and community.

The theory behind the design is to emphasis that the total environment, can offer play value and not just an area in the corner of a park. Think grassy mounds, innovative planting, timber decking, trees, water, bridges and boulders complemented by modern well designed play equipment and you've got Playscape: an exciting and challenging space to play with unlimited creativity and imagination."