Stonebridge child gives Labour Council leaders some home truths

Outsdie Brent Civic Centre last night

One of the children from Stonebridge Adventure Playground surprised workers who had accompanied her to last night’s Consultation event at the Civic Centre. They said what happened ‘made the whole event worthwhile’.

The girl had been scribbling away on one of the comments cards that had been distributed and onlookers assumed she was doodling out of sheer boredom.  But then she took the microphone  and gave an impassioned speech from her notes.  She mentioned the hardship that would be caused to single and working parents, and how the closure of the Adventure Playground  would mean there was nowhere for the community to mix, people would just stay in their flats and not let their children go out. She also mentioned CCTV cameras which she said aren¹t as necessary when young people have somewhere to go.  

The councillors responded that at an earlier meeting the users of the Millennium Centre had spoken up for their centre in a similar way (thereby apparently implying it was pointless trying to argue from a human perspective) 

Doug Lee from the Playground spoke about the six months that kids aren't at school, the length of time the playground has been in operation and the money Brent Play Association has raised on behalf of other groups in Brent (supplementary schools, CVS, Pakistani Workers Association to name just three) 

Glynis Lee said that the council were saying 20% cuts to front-line services but Stonebridge Adventure Playground  was getting a 100% cut. The cuts were going to decimate front-line services, whilst councillors sat in their glass tower taking a 20% rise and people in Brent were suffering.
Although Jo Coburn from BBC Politics, who chaired yesterday’s meetings for a fee of £2,500, wanted to get into the subject of where the cuts should be made, Glynis was having none of it.

She told the councillors they were elected by the people of Brent as Labour councillors and were doing the work of the Coalition. She asked, ‘how do you guys sleep at night?' 

Deputy Leader Cllr Michael Pavey said they did have trouble sleeping but to not go ahead with these measures would be breaking the law and they weren't prepared to do that.  

The Youth Parliament representatives also mentioned the increase in councillors' allowance and Butt responded they wanted to attract the best councillors and not just retired people or those with enough funds to do it.

People in the room also asked about proposals to work with the voluntary sector to continue to provide services in some way, and Anne O'Neil from Brent Mencap pointed out that the procurement process would hinder this unless it was vastly improved. 

An important question was raised from the floor about the use  of  Section 106 money for communities affected by redevelopment. Cllr Butt answered this, unsatisfactorily according to some, implying  that these funds just went into the general pot, and not to the respective communities. 

'Mr Butt, you have our number' Stonebridge Adventure Playground tells Council leader

In his budget speech at Brent Council last week Muhammed Butt said:

I respect those for whom the (Stonebridge) adventure playground remains a key part of their community. I admire how people have stepped forward to say ‘this matters to me, this matters to my family.’ The reality is that we cannot continue to fund projects like this in the way we once did.

Over the last few months, we have asked those who run the adventure playground to work with us to see whether supervised play can continue on that site or be relocated. And so, we hope the adventure playground will respond to our call, to work with us for the good of the people of Stonebridge and Brent.

Doug Lee of Brent Play Association, responded on the Stonebridge Adventure Playground Facebook page:

We have always not just worked with Brent Council but also supported and worked with many other voluntary groups and charities in Brent. This is because we are part of that family. This is because we love and respect our brothers and sisters. We always strive and battle for justice whatever the odds and expect Cllr. Muhammed Butt and his administration to do the same thing AND FIND a way to keep the playground OPEN and Funded by using all their powers and their relationships with all the other organisations involved in the school expansion and new housing project.

It is not their job to roll over and give in. It is their job to find a solution and if they need our help TALK to us INVOLVE us instead of rhetoric. Our community has the strength and wisdom to help you find the outcome to keep this provision for many generations to come .Together we CAN and will SUCCEED. Mr Butt you have our phone numbers.

Three Brent Central General Election candidates united in support of Stonebridge Adventure Playground

A child left this message for staff at Stonebridge Adventure Playground

 
The three candidates General Election candidates so far selected for Brent Central have all pledged support for Stonebridge Adventure Playground which is threatened with closure.

Dawn Butler,  the Labour candidate,  spoke to the local press soon after the plans were announced and has been photographed wearing the Save Stonebridge red t-shirt when she visited the site to give her support to parents and children fighting for the playground;s survival

On November 25th Green Party candidate Shahrar Ali made this statement:

The Stonebridge Adventure Playground is a shining example of what the Green Party means by the common good. For 42 years this facility has been serving three generations of residents in one of Brent's most disadvantaged areas. It is a safe place for children to play and for parents to socialise; encourages outdoor play and exercise rather than leaving children indoors hunched over a screen; and allows for creativity and risk-taking under experienced supervision. The playground is at the heart of the community and helps to keep it stable.

It appears that Brent Council is failing to acknowledge all these positives but instead is making decisions based on narrow short-termism based on accountancy rather than people.

We cannot risk the value of the Adventure Playground being recognised only when it is too late, as happened with the closure of half the borough's libraries. Brent Council must go back to the drawing board and find a way to keep the playground open and staffed, whilst also providing the extra school places and affordable housing that is needed. Any developer contributions should be earmarked for the benefit of existing Stonebridge residents and that includes the Adventure Playground.

Ibrahim Talguri wrote to the playground on December 5th:

Thank you for welcoming me to the Playground. While it was a cold, wet December night, the warmth inside the centre was immediate the moment I stepped inside.

I could instantly feel the sense of home and belonging that you have given to so many children over the last 40 years. For men and women who came here as youngsters to now bring their own children and grandchildren means that you have touched upon something truly special.

A home from home, that provides safety, kindness, and joy. I told you that I could feel the spirit of the place as being alive and vibrant with the happiness of several generations of children. 

To put it simply. Stonebridge Adventure Playground has soul. Real soul that money can’t buy or replace. That’s why I will give you my complete support in keeping this at the heart of the community for Stonebridge and for many years to come.

It is all to rare to find such treasures within London today. It is a city that change beyond recognition and at an unbelievable pace. It is so important to hold close and tight, the things that make our communities what they are.

Stonebridge Adventure Playground is a family home for a big family. Where the children play and the adults take comfort in their company together. This magic place must be protected for the generations to come.

A Conservative candidate has not yet been selected.

 During his budget speech at Full Council on Monday, Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt said:

I respect those for whom the adventure playground remains a key part of their community. I admire how people have stepped forward to say ‘this matters to me, this matters to my family.’ The reality is that we cannot continue to fund projects like this in the way we once did.

Over the last few months, we have asked those who run the adventure playground to work with us to see whether supervised play can continue on that site or be relocated. And so, we hope the adventure playground will respond to our call, to work with us for the good of the people of Stonebridge and Brent.

Tune in to Stonebridge kids fighting for their Adventure Playground Sunday 8-10pm 95.4FM

Stonebridge kids fighting to save the Stonebridge Adventure Playground will appear on Roots FM 95.4 on Sunday night.

They will be on the Gussy Roots show from 8-10pm.

Meanwhile follow this link to see some of the amazing  comments made in support of the Adventure Playground on their website: LINK

Brent Council removes compromising Stonebridge Playground funding proposal from its website

At the weekend I published an item from the Brent Forward Plan which showed that despite the consultation about the future of Stonebridge, including the closure of the Adventure Playground, not ending until today, the Council was intending to cut its funding.

Muhammed Butt had assured residents and their children (recorded on video) that nothing had been decided ahead of the outcome  consultatiopn on the expansion of Stonebridge Primary school and the building of new housing that necessitated  the Playground's demolition.  He did go on at length about needing to save money so presumably it was the funding cut he had in mind.

The  Council's  Forward Plan published at the weekend including a proposal for the December 15th  Cabinet that funding for the Stonebridge Adventure Playground be 'terminated'.

Now that item has been removed from the Forward Planning section of the Council website, If you follow the link I published this is what you get:

Luckily I had copied the item on Sunday.  For those of you denied access by the Council, this is what it said (original format):

Revenue funding to Brent Play Association which supports the running costs of Stonebridge Adventure Playground

Details
History

To terminate the funding to Brent Play Association (BPA) at the end of the 2014-15 financial year.

Decision type: Key

Reason Key: Signficant expenditure/savings > 30% of budget for the function in question;

Decision status: For Determination

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Notice of proposed decision first published: 14/11/2014

Decision due: 15 Dec 2014 by Cabinet

Lead member: Lead Member for Children and Young People

Lead director: Strategic Director, Children and Young People

Department: Children and Young People

Contact: Sara Williams, Operational Director, Early Help and Education Email: sara.williams@brent.gov.uk Tel: 020 8937 3510.

Documents

Revenue funding to Brent Play Association which supports the running costs of Stonebridge Adventure Playground 

Other items on the Forward Plan sent out at the same time  are still accessible.

Now what possible motive could Brent Council have for removing something that should be publicly accessible and clearly has major repercussions for the parents, carers and children of Stonebridge?

Council tables termination of funding for Stonebridge Adventure Playground before consultation closes

Dawn Butler, Labour General Election candidate for Brent Central, is among the playground campaigners

Brent Council yesterday published its Forward Plan for the December 15th Cabinet. Headed 'Revenue Funding to Brent Play Association which supports the running costs of Stonebridge Adventure Playground' LINK it proposes to terminate the funding to the Brent Play Association (BPA) at the end of the 2014-15 financial year.

It gives the reason for termination as 'Signficant expenditure/savings > 30% of budget for the function in question'.

The future of the Adventure Playground is currently the subject of a consultation  on proposals about the expansion of Stonebridge Primary School which involves building on its 40 year old site.  The consultation does not close until Monday but the funding cut appears to preempt the consultation outcome..

The threat of closure has created enormous concern on the Stonebridge Estate and a passionate campaign by local residents. Residents were unconvinced by Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt at a recent meeting to discuss the Council's proposals.  LINK

At the meeting Butt insisted, 'Nothing has been decided yet'.

The residents were clearly right.

To support the survival of the Stonebridge Adventure Playground fill in the on-line consultation:
www.brent.gov.uk/stonebridgeconsultation

Or email your response to stonebridge.consult@brent.gov.uk

And also sign the petition HERE 

Join the campaign's Facebook group  HERE

Stonebridge has a history of fighting back as this report from 2003 shows: LINK

Butt told: 'This is a line you should not cross!' as Stonebridge fights back

This is the second part of a recording of Mo Butt's meeting with supporters of Stonebridge Adventure Playground who are trying to stop its demolition by Brent Council. I am full of admiration for Doug Lee as he launches an impassioned defence of the playground and its work. This is how a community fights back!

The last consultation on the plans takes place at Stonebridge Primary School from 5-78pm tonight. There is still time to email Brent Council with your views stonebridge.consult@brent.gov.uk or visit www.brent.gov.uk/stonebridgeconsultation

The consultation closes on November 17th 2014

Stonebridge speaks Truth to Power over Adventure Playground closure

'THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR COMMUNITY'

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt meets local people from the Stonebridge Estate who are fighting to keep their Adventure Playground open.

Stonebridge Adventure Playground is NOT SAVED yet - fight goes on

Rumours are apparently going around Stonebridge Estate saying that the Adventure Playground has been saved. This is not true. The Council's granting of Asset of Community Value status helps but on its own will not stop the redevelopment.

What will stop it is a determined campaign by the whole community united in protecting this asset and using every peaceful means necessary to bring the message home to councillors:  THIS PLAYGROUND MUST STAY!

Last night amid the fireworks I seemed to be the only person who turned up for the consultation meeting at the Hub. Unsurprisingly for a day when children and their families are busy having fun.

Either the timing was deliberate to discourage attendance or the Communications Team at Brent Council are extremely poor at their job.

We will need a huge turnout of the generations of Stonebridge and Harlesden people who want to keep the playground at the next consultation meeting which is on November 12th 5-7pm at Stonebridge School.

If you are unable to attend fill in the consultation form here: www.brent.gov.uk/stonebridgeconsultation

or email your response to stonebridge.consult@brent.gov.uk
 

The consultation closes on November 17th

I told the consultation team:

• Stonebridge and Harlesden children need a playground in a high density area to provide space to play, experience challenge and develop physical and teamwork skills
• They need a staffed playground so they and their parents know they are safe
• The playground is a place where parents and carers mix and get to know each other
• Children from many different primary and secondary schools mix happily at the Centre
• The staff are known and trusted by the community and have their respect
• In turn the staff know several generations of local people and have seen them grow from children into youth and adulthood
• This makes a unique contribution to the stability of the area
• The Council is in danger of concentrating on the 'accountancy' in housing and school place provision and missing the social value of what Stonebridge Adventure Playground provides
• Increased density of housing with no 'safety valve' such as the Playground provides will build up potential trouble for the future (more flats are to be built on the site of Bridge Park and Wembley Point across the North Circular Road may be turned into flats)
• The kickabout area (see illustration below) is next to the main road posing a danger both from traffic accidents and traffic pollution
• The Playground's holiday and weekend provision for children with special needs and disabilities is unique and its record of integration very positive
• The Playground also contributes to the mental health and well-being of children and young people through the care and support it offers
• Any Equalities Impact Assessment would have to recognise that in closing the Adventure Playground the Council would be depriving an already disadvantaged community further as well as removing support from children with special needs, disabilities and mental health problems

Stonebridge School and Our Lady of Lourdes next door - kickabout area next to main road and NO Adventure Playground

It is worth noting that the Brent Council website  consultation page introduction does not mention the plans involve the closing of the Sdventure Plkayground ad it merits just two sentences on page five of the consultation booklet.

From the Council website:

We are consulting on the redevelopment of Stonebridge Primary School between 6 October and 17 November 2014.

The current proposals are for the redevelopment of the Stonebridge Primary School site and the area around it.  This site is located off Hillside and is bordered by the canal off Johnson Road, Milton Avenue and Our Lady of Lourdes RC School.

The redevelopment includes the site currently being used as the Stonebridge Primary School annexe on Twybridge Way.

Stonebridge is your community, so it’s important that you tell us what you think of these plans.

These are proposals and no decision has as yet been taken.

Not very transparent is it?

Stonebridge Adventure Playground gets Asset of Community Value listing but watch this space

Campaign on Facebook PleaseSupport

Campaigners for Stonebridge Adventures Playground are celebrating the granting of Asset of Community Value to the facility which has served local children and their parents seince the 1970s.

Brent Council plan to close the playground in order to extend Stonebridge Primary School and build housing. The full staffed and well-resourced playgtround which also runs special projects for children with special needs and disabilities would be replaced by a much smaller unstaffed 'kickabout' close to the main road.

As well as recognising the value of the playground to the community the listing also opens the way to a community bid for the site.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE PLAYGROUND IS SAVED AND RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT  THE CAMPAIGN,  SIGN THE PETITION AND ESPECIALLT TO COMPLETE THE ON-LINE CONSULTATION

However, this extract from the letter granting ACV status also indicates (last para) the possibility for an appeal which I would expect to come from the Planning Department - basically one part of Brent Council appealing to another part of Brent Council.  Something to carefully monitor.

A consultation process is currently underway on the Council plans with the latest meeting tonight at the The Hub in Stonebridge 7-9pm. Bonfire Night is perhaps not the best night of the year to consult with children and their parents!

Extract from Brent Council's letter signed by Cathy Tyson

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I am satisfied that the nomination made by the community body falls within Section 90(3) and under section 90(4) the Council is therefore required to enter the land as nominated on the Council’s list of assets of community value.

In accordance with Section 91 of the Act I hereby give notice of the inclusion of the Stonebridge Adventure Playground with the boundary shown on the maps provided by the nominee on 9^th September 2014 on the Local Authority’s list of Assets of Community Value.

The consequences for the land and for the London Borough of Brent as owners of the land of the inclusion of the land on the list of assets of community value are that

.        i)  The land will remain on the list of assets of community value for a period of 5 years unless the criteria for listing are found to no longer exist during an earlier review. 


.        ii)  It is open to the Council to remove the entry if for any reason the council no longer considers the land to be of community value. 


.        iii)  A restriction will be entered on the Land Registry and entry will be made on the Local Land Charges Register. 


iv)Under s95 of the Act the owner (London Borough of Brent) must not enter into a relevant disposal of the land unless certain conditions are met. These include notifying the Council in writing of the owner’s wish to enter into a relevant disposal of the land and complying with any moratorium periods on disposal.

v) A relevant disposal of listed land is ineffective if it is a disposal which contravenes S95. There is an exception to this in paragraph 21(2) of the Regulations.

The owner of the land (London Borough of Brent) has the right to ask for a review under S92 of the Act. A request for a review must be made in writing before the end of 8 weeks from the date of this notice. Such request should be addressed to the Assistant Chief Executive, Brent Council, Brent Civic Centre, Empire Way , Wembley, HA9 0FJ

Farewell to Myron Jobson of the Kilburn Times

Myron Jobson

Myron Jobson, who has become a familiar figures covering demonstrations and meetings in Brent is leaving the Kilburn Times tomorrow.

He is joining the Financial Times to to work on features, mainly for one of its supplements.

Myron's recent series of articles on the campaign to save Stonebridge Adventure Playground has shown committed local journalism at its best.

It is a big leap into another world and I wish him well.

ACV status for Stonebridge Adventure Playground to be decided next week

The Kilburn Times has been supporting the campaign since the start

The Brent Play Association's application for Stonebridge Adventure Playground to be made an asset of community value is due to get a response from Brent Council by November 5th.

ACV status gives some protection to such assets but does not prevent development.  However, it can be taken into account by the Planning Committee and clears the ground for a community bid. It makes a clear public statement that the facility is valued by the public.

Certainly the playground can easily demonstration that it has been a community asset for decades and many personal testimonials demonstrate its value to a community.

Front: Martin Francis (Green Party) and Dawn Butler (Labour) united in defence of the playground

The playground's fight for survival has received much support including that of Dawn Butler, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, despite Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt insisting that he remains 'neutral'. I am supporting the fight both as a Tustree of the Brent Play Association and as Brent Green Party's spokesperson on children and families.

A community asset then...

and now

Stonebridge: So much more than just a playground

United in the battle to save Stonebridge Adventure Playground

The Kilburn Times is playing a gteat role in publicising and supporting the fight to save Stonebridge Adventure Playground. Unfortunately they have not had a Letters Page for several weeks so I print below a letter I sent them:

 It has been gratifying to see the Brent & Kilburn Times getting behind the local community's fight to save Stonebridge Adventure Playground.

I recently attended the Wembley Connects forum where we were invited to shape a vision for the improvement of the borough. One strong theme that emerged was the need for social spaces where our diverse population could meet, share common interests and learn about each other. It was argued that this  would help produce community cohesion and solidarity.

Stonebridge Adventure Playground is such a space where generations of children and their parents and carers have mixed and shared each others company in an area of disadvantage.  It was noteworthy that Doug and Glynis Lee's MBE nomination for their work on the playground was from grown up children who had helped them build it back in the 1970s.

By concentrating on bricks and mortar Brent Council is in danger of ignoring the role that such places play, not just in the obvious provision of play opportunities but in the way the play workers know generations of people in the area who used the Adventure Playground as children. They are well known in the community, have its respect and contribute positively to its stability. They provide a safe place where through the opportunity to play children children can become confident, independent and sociable. This largely invisible contribution to children's development can make a massive impact on children's future lives.

A local teacher posted this comment on my blog:

I used the adventure playground as a child. I remember bonfire nights, tuck shop, arts and crafts, movies, pool, arcades, table tennis and camping trips. I was welcomed to work there as a volunteer into my late teens which helped focus me toward my career in teaching. Ive been back to visit a number of times and am blown away to see children from all backgrounds, special needs and mainstream all playing together. It's currently ahead of its time.

Its heart breaking to know that there is enough money out there to supplement the money that it already raises for itself, to keep it open.
Shortsightedness must not prevail. Keep Stonebridge Adventure Playground open!!

Replacing the Adventure Playground with an unstaffed kickabout area next to the main road is tokenistic and insulting to the children of Stonebridge and Harlesden.

We need housing and we need school places but not at the expense of destroying something so valuable.

Brent Council must think again and come up with a solution that recognises the value of Stonebridge Adventure Playground and its work.

Martin Francis
Trustee
Brent Play Association

Harlesden Connects Tuesday: Help kids & parents save Stonebridge Adventure Playground

Brent Council want to expand a school and build houses in Stonebridge and in the process demolish the much loved and valued Stonebridge Adventure Playground which has been there since the 1970s.

The playground is staffed by playworkers who have worked with generations of children in this disadvantaged part of Brent. They are a respected part of the community and contribute to its stability.

In the plans the Adventure Playground would be replaced by an unstaffed kickabout area next to the main road.

Brent Council is currently consulting on their plans. Get involved and help the children and parents save the playground and force the Council to come up with alternative plans.

CONSULTATION DATES

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21 October 7pm Brent Connects Harlesden at the Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre, Brentfield, Harrow Road NW10 0RG. The consultation will be on the agenda at Brent Connects Harlesden.

29 October 9.30-11.30am and 5 November 5.30-7.30pm at the Main Hall, The Hub, 6 Hillside, Stonebridge, NW10 8BN.

12 November 5.00-7.00pm at Stonebridge Primary School, Shakespeare Avenue, Stonebridge, NW10 8NG

Parents and children speak out to save Stonebridge Adventure Playground

Not for the first time Stonebridge Adventure Playground, which has sertved generations of children in one of the most disadvantaged areas of Brent  since 1976, is threatened with closure.

Children and parents speak out in this impromptu video, recorded on Friday, about what the playground means to them.

Sign the petition to save the playground HERE

Brent's own Welsh village school is determined to survive redevelopment plans

Nestled between Stonebridge Primary School and Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School on Hillside, Stonebridge, and easy to miss,  lies one of Brent's hidden gems.

Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain (London Welsh School) has occupied the site since 2000 after its move from a Welsh Chapel in Willesden.

Now there are concerns about its future following the Brent Council Executive's approval of plans to expand Stonebridge Primary School, sell off its current Annex for housing and reconfigure Stonebridge Adventure Playground and the adjacent open space.

The school is a Welsh village school in the heart of London. Although the Executive report said that the number of pupils  was 'well below the maximum of 30' there are in fact 36 full-time statutory age children  attending and 41 if you include the nursery.

The school receives a grant from the Welsh Government and charges fees of £800 a term. However parents' ability to pay is means tested and the Chair of the Board of directors, Eleri Brady said they 'pay what they can afford to pay and we never refuse a place to a child'. The school has to find the difference and is involved in lots of fund raising. An earlier application to become a free school in  order to secure the school's future was not approved.

At present the premises are leased from Stonebridge Primary and the arrangement goes back to a period when Stonebridge was a one form entry in a cavernous building. The council report says that the arrangement needs to be 'regularised', and the lease 'put on a commercial footing or terminated'.

Eleri Brady at the school entrance

A commercial rent or termination would see the school looking for new premises or ending its existence although there is a ray of hope in the report where it states the council should 'carefully consider any impact on the Welsh language community' going forward. Certainly there is a determination on the part of the Chair of the Board of Directors to keep the school open: 'We want to keep it special'.

The bilingual school follows the Welsh curriculum and the children do not take SATs tests, although the school does follow theEarly Years and Foundation Stage curriculum.

When I visited today the atmosphere was relaxed but purposeful with very positive relationships between children and between children and teachers. The headteacher Julie Sullivan described how the children developed confidence quickly in the school with everyone from Nursery to Year 6 able to participate in presentations and productions because of the low numbers involved.  The school is regularly visited by the Welsh media and children participate in the annual St David's Day Service Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster.

Parents choose the school because they wanted to preserve their children's Welsh language and cultural identity and often because are were only working in London for a few years and want to ensure the continuity of the child's education. About half the children go on to an English secondary school and the others return to Wales for a Welsh secondary education as there is no equivalent Welsh secondary school in London. The children are drawn from across London by some families move closer i9n order to attend the school.

Clearly there are pressures on school places that have to be addressed but it would be a pity if the London Welsh School became a casualty of regeneration in a similar way to the fate of the much missed Willesden Bookshop. Cllr Pavey, lead member for children and families, referred at the Executive meeting to Cllr Crane's description of him supporting the Welsh School as an eccentricity. Crane is the lead member for regeneration and major projects. It would be a terrible pity if a place so unique were to disappear when the bulldozers move in and I hope a means will be found to help it survive.

Celebrating victory in an earlier threat to the Adventure Playground

Alongside the proposal for the Welsh School are plans for the Stonebridge Adventure Playground.  Presently run by the Brent Play Association, a charity of which I am one of the trustees, the report points to the possibility of reorganisation and resiting. At the Executive meeting Cllr George Crane spoke of the ' need to consult further and review the management and operation of the playground'. The Adventure Playground was funded by the Big Lottery and recently campaigned to maintain its council funding.

The report mentions the possibility of the Adventure Playground being used by Stonebridge Primary School during the day and the community after school and at weekends.

Neither the Welsh School nor the Adventure Playground seem to know much about what is planned for them so it is important that there is a full and transparent consultation about their future.

London Welsh School Contacts:

headlondonwelsh@hotmail.com
www.ysgolgymraegllundain.ik.org
Tel: 0208 965 3585