Crumbles Castle Heritage - Chiefs and Indians

‘It's ours whatever they say’

Heritage - Lumpy Hill Adventure Playground Community Day

Lumpy Hill Adventure Playground Community Day

Wooden Bridge Art and Craft

Swing building at CAPE

pulling faces CAPE

Outside CAPE

Jumping CAPE

Cape Play & Youth Project

Heritage Project – ‘It’s Ours Whatever They Say’

IPA is keen to show that the adventure play movement is alive and well in Islington and we decided we needed to tell the story of how they have developed here so that we can see where we are on the journey of Islington’s play.

Our heritage project, ‘Its ours whatever they say’, culminated in an exhibition at the Islington Museum and some of the material remains on permanent display. As with most of our projects, we had a playworker leading it and this was seen as a ‘bold and imaginative move’ ensuring that participants got to have fun at the same time.

We worked closely with the Islington Museum and other partners to bring together photos, stories and pictures of all 12 adventure playgrounds. Each one now has a permanent board installed outside their gates to tell the local community a bit about their story.

The project was, for me, very significant for two reasons. First, that play and particularly adventure play is becoming increasingly invisible in terms of national profile and priorities.

Its continued promotion in Islington is essential due the local factors of population density; child poverty and lowest open space nationally.

Second, the project is significant due to the need to recognise and celebrate community action by local parents, particularly mothers over the last 50 years in campaigning for play and organising and managing provision particularly in the early days.

– Steering group member

Some of the photos uncovered by our heritage project can be found in the slideshow above.