'First of its kind' playground for disabled children opens in UK
Research from the disability charity SCOPE revealed that half of families with disabled children say their local playground isn't accessible and one in ten said their disabled child hurt themselves because of inaccessible equipment
Saturday 24 February 2024 04:07, UK
Playgrounds across the country are failing to cater to the needs of disabled children, campaigners have told Sky News.
The Fair Play Barnet playground in north London is being described as the first of its kind in the UK.
It cost £500,000 - most of it raised through a group of independent funders.
Deborah Gundle, whose son has special needs, led the campaign to create the playground.
"What we're trying to do with this playground is showcase a model so that all councils and public landscape developers across Britain can see how to design a playground for accessibility," Ms Gundle said.
Co-founder Natalie Esfandi told Sky News local government leaders have a big role to play.
Barnet Council committed £100,000 to the project - and Ms Esfandi says other local authorities should take note.
"Councils have a responsibility to foster inclusion within their communities, and drive that for the wellbeing of everyone in society," she said.
"It's not just people with disabilities, it's just the general wellbeing of society would benefit from that.
"I'm hoping that other councillors will see what we've done."
Research from the charity SCOPE revealed that:
• Half of families with disabled children say their local playground isn't accessible.
• One in ten said their disabled child hurt themselves because of inaccessible equipment.
• Almost one in seven (13%) could not enjoy the playground as a family because siblings were unable to play together.
SCOPE spokesman Warren Kirwan says the government must deliver on their commitment to building more playgrounds that all children can enjoy.
"Every playground in Britain should be accessible for the whole family to use. Children learn and develop through play, and that should be there for disabled children as well," he said.
"The government has just released a Disability Action Plan and within that, a series of recommendations of when counsellors and other organisations produce or modify or update their parks and playgrounds that they can use to make them more accessible, make them for everybody."
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A government spokesperson told Sky News that "we want to ensure more disabled children can use their local playground".
"We will work with people including families, local authorities, businesses, and experts to improve advice and access to guidance for those building these facilities," they added.
"This commitment is part of the Disability Action Plan - 32 steps the government is taking to make the UK the most accessible place in the world for disabled people to live, work and thrive."