Bethwin Road
Adventure Playground
Scroll down to find out more!
About
OUR HISTORY
In the early 1970’s a group of local people identified the need for a place for local children and young people to meet, play and exercise safely. They formed a committee and applied for charitable status, in the meantime negotiating with the then GLC for space to set up the playground.
Our site was originally covered in old Victorian mansion blocks which were scheduled for demolition and our committee managed to secure a lease to use the site.
The committee also secured a grant from the Wates Foundation to build a Playhut and appointed an architect to design it. In 1976 they advertised for staff with funds secured from Southwark Council and appointed the original 2 Playworkers, one of whom is still involved as a Trustee 45 years later!
The playground quickly became an integral feature of the local community providing after school and Saturday activities and holiday playschemes. We have developed our facilities over the years with 2 extensions to our building in the early years, new play structures and an outdoor gym as well as a nature garden area with a beehive and a state of the art sports pitch. We are currently working with Southwark Council to upgrade our site after many years of hard wear and tear form our active youngsters.
Over the years, many adventure playgrounds have fallen by the wayside for a variety of reasons, but the need for them is probably greater than ever. At Bethwin we are proud to be one of the few surviving and thriving playgrounds and having recently celebrated our 45th birthday we are looking forward to marking our half century and beyond providing essential services to local young people and their families.
Term Time Opening Hours
4 Bethwin Road, London, SE5 0YJTerm Time Opening Hours
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 15:00 - 19:00
Wednesday 15:00 - 19:00
Thursday 15:00 - 19:00
Friday 15:00 - 19:00
Saturday 12:00 - 17:00
Phone
+44 20 7703 4281
School Holidays Opening Hours
4 Bethwin Road, London, SE5 0YJSummer Opening Hours
Monday 12:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 12:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 12:00 - 18:00
Thursday 12:00 - 18:00
Friday 12:00 - 18:00
Saturday and Sunday CLOSED
Bank Holidays CLOSED
Phone
+44 20 7703 4281
OUR MANAGEMENT
Bethwin is a voluntary sector playground run as a registered charity by a management board of Trustees and Community Reps which meets every 6-8 weeks. Board members have a wide range of skills and experience in project management in both the voluntary and statutory sectors and give freely of their time for Trustee duties.
We welcome new board members with an interest in developing the playground so if you are interested, do speak to our Project Manager, Stephney Bent or email us at: B.R.A.PG@hotmail.com
Our current Trustees are: Hilary Rimington, Hannah Ojo and Amy Compton
OUR USERS
Most of our families live in the social housing estates surrounding the playground but some do come from further afield in the school holidays and on Saturdays.
Some are the children, and even the grandchildren, of parents who used to come to the playground when they were young, and others are more newly arrived families.
Our families come from all over the world, including Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and Eastern Europe as well as the UK. Many are migrants or refugees and asylum seekers.
Many of our families are on low incomes and/or state benefits working long hours and sometimes on several part-time/zero-hour contracts.
Many of our parents are bringing up their children as lone parents.
Health inequality is high in our community with levels of childhood obesity, mental health issues and Type 2 Diabetes being some of the highest in the country.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Perhaps the most important function of the playground is to provide our children with space to get out of their often-over-crowded flats and have space to run, climb, swing, ride bikes, meet friends, play games and generally have fun and keep fit. In these days of growing childhood obesity and mental health issues this is more crucial than ever.
Our delivery is focussed on the health and wellbeing of our young people which is increasingly at risk from screen culture, social media and of course recently Covid. As part of this focus we are offering mentoring support to young people facing difficult home lives, meditation and relaxation sessions and are also planning Yoga/ Tai Chi/ Qi Gong sessions.
We celebrate as many festivals and important days as we can to recognise the multi-cultural heritage of our families and communities and raise awareness of imp0rtant issues with our users including: Chinese New Year, Martin Luther King Day, Xmas & Easter, Eid, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Windrush Day, Earth Day, World Food Day, St Patrick’s Day, Children’s Day, United Nations Day, Jamaica, Ghana & Nigeria Independence Days and more.
We offer a wide range of activities for children and young people aged 6-16 and their families including:
Adventure Play
Table games
Homework/ Reading support
Bikes & Trikes
Table Tennis
Table football
Residential weekends
Sleepovers
Sports & Games
Healthy cooking
Drama/ Dance
Youth Club
Pool
Quizzes
Community Events
Charity events
Arts & Crafts
Gardening
Music
Tournaments
Air Hockey
Daytrips
Bee-keeping
PARTNERSHIPS
Over the years we have built up a network of partnerships with a range of local and regional agencies to share ideas and work together for the benefit of our users. These include:
Southwark Council
Blue Elephant Theatre
Cambridge House
Active Communities
Millwall in the Community
National Lottery
Community Southwark
Youth Futures
Sony Music/ Black Butter
Local schools
Bee Urban
London Play
Play Five-a-side
London Youth
and more
Gallery
Calendar
We love to keep our calendar packed full of workshops and classes for kids to enjoy. Take a look at the events we’ll be running over the next few weeks!
Community Feedback
What you think is very important to us. Here are some quotes from the parents of children at Bethwin Road Adventure Playground
“I would like to thank you and your team for all you did to keep the playground open and your hardwork to keep the children safe, despite the current circumstances. This has meant so much to us all, the kids got to safely socialise, play, learn new things and make art, and myself being a single parent got to get some *me* time”
"My children are excited and happy and look forward daily to attend the club. Happy happy mummy so I hope this club continues to be open."
"Big thank you Steph, a really hard working lady"
"Thank you for all you do for our community. Always with a smile on your face and welcoming."
"My children really enjoy to come to the playground the staff are really kind."
Get in touch
Your feedback is invaluable. Please feel free to drop us a note with any queries, suggestions or other thoughts.