Children's Playground at Chiswick House Reopens
Area has been repaired thanks to donation from the Friends' group
Chiswick House children's play area being prepared for opening
Chiswick House & Gardens Trust has reopened its children's outdoor play area this Friday (12 March).
The reopening follows essential repair work carried out using £35,000 already raised including a significant donation from Chiswick House Friends. As well as the repairs, exciting new play equipment has been installed, including a large basket swing and a sandpit boat feature.
Fundraising continues to drum up the remaining £100,000 needed to complete the project. This includes installation of the remaining pieces of play equipment, a soft planting scheme and development of an outdoor learning programme for families.
The design of this sustainable, natural playground with a menagerie theme that ties into the history of the Estate, aims to provide an engaging and interactive space for kids and their families to relax and reconnect after the long period of lockdown.
The winning design from the extensive consultation is by Natural Playscapes, specialists in natural and adventure play and includes a plan for a Monkey’s Treehouse with a slide, a Tree Lab to encourage kids to find, collect and play with natural materials, hand-carved wooden sculptures for the sandpit and a colourful canopy to provide shade over the sandpit.
The gardening team at Chiswick House and Gardens will supplement these designs with soft planting including sensory areas within the play area with willow arches and aromatic, tactile plants.
As the fundraising progresses, the Trust will monitor feedback from a questionnaire sent to the community and donors. This feedback will help shape the final stages of the project and the outdoor learning programme which will be launched in 2022.
However, with the cancellation of weddings and events due to Covid the Trust’s funds have severely depleted and money has been re-directed to priorities such as essential maintenance.
To raise the remaining £100,000 needed to complete the playground and fund the outdoor learning programme, the Trust needs people to donate and spread the word.
Donations can be made via the website which also contains details of the planned Play Area design, up-to-date information about fundraising milestones and progress, and how to get involved in fundraising.
The Chiswick House and Gardens Café next to the Outdoor Play Area, managed by Colicci, will be having an extensive refurbishment so the interior of the Café will be closed for a few weeks from 12 April. Takeaway drinks and snacks will still be available from the kiosk throughout.
Chiswick House & Gardens Trust kindly ask that visitors to the Kids Outdoor Play Area observe social distancing guidelines, sanitise their kid’s hands before and after using the play area and refrain from congregating in large numbers.
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March 12, 2021
