Help us create a new inclusive playground
ChapelAPlay is a local community group based in Chapel Allerton, Leeds.
We are looking to raise funds to go towards making our playground inclusive & more accessible to all local children.
Over the last few months the importance of good outdoor play facilities for children has been highlighted by the recent lockdown & restrictions of the covid19 pandemic. The park in Chapel Allerton is sadly lacking in this area. The current playground has not been updated for many years. The equipment & surfacing are out-dated, not maintained to a high standard & un-safe in some areas. We are working alongside Leeds Parks & Countryside department and have been liaising with the local community to get a clear understanding of how we can improve facilities & make the park a more enjoyable place to visit now & in the future. The main objective is a playground that appeals to all ages not just young children. We have a varied age range of residents who would like to use the park more with their grandchildren, children & with friends. We are working on providing a good balance of new equipment within the existing play area, creating more seating areas for socialising & liaising with the local council to bring more events to the park for all ages to enjoy. We hope all these projects will rejuvenate the park as a destination for family trips & provide a good place to hold community events. We want to encourage the community to use the park more & support our long-term goal of redeveloping the whole playground. Play is essential to the healthy development of children & young people. Their physical, social & cognitive development can be positively impacted by play. We want our play space to be of high quality & safe design to attract children & families & for it to become a valuable part of our local environment now & in the future. The imaginative, stimulating play space that we strive to create will enrich the lives of children & families in our local community. We want to provide play spaces that challenge children & that provide opportunities for personal and social growth & development. The importance of outdoor play on mental & physical health & wellbeing is now well known & the impact on a local community of providing attractive, engaging spaces in which to play outdoors can have long lasting & far reaching effects on local areas. Places where children play are important social places – not just for children & young people but also for parents, grandparents, carers & the wider community. Research suggests that children playing outdoors & establishing relationships with other children in their community can also have a positive effect on community cohesion. Parents, particularly those of young children, also establish their own social networks through their children which means that improved play spaces can also support community cohesion amongst adults. Good outdoor play provision has social benefits for the whole community.
See our Facebook group for our story so far.
Our first community project was in collaboration with two other local groups bringing a splash of colour to our drab playground wall. We think this wall mural by local artist cortisol kid was a great start to rejuvenating our playground.
We would really appreciate your help & support! Thank you!
