*** Martin Luther King Adventure Playground is currently closed for improvements . During the closure period, the old building on-site will be demolished and a temporary building put in place.
Martin Luther King Adventure Playground takes up a whole corner of Paradise Park and is a special place just for children. Our friendly staff love meeting new children and welcoming old friends and there are a range of activities happening every day. At present Islington Play Association does not provide any childcare for children aged 6 and upwards.
MLK is named for the famous civil rights activist and it was set up with money from his foundation because it is a place where all children can play together in peace.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
History:
In 1968 (the year of Martin Luther King’s assassination) this area of Islington was crowded and condemned; there were high levels of poverty and racial tension amongst local people. A parent group approached the Greater London Council to set up a temporary adventure playground here, on what was then a demolition site of 10 acres. It was the only open space for children to play on at the time and proved to be an instant success. As a result, the parent group were given a quarter acre space, including the disused Woodbine factory building on a permanent basis. Originally funded by The Martin Luther King Foundation and Christian Aid and later funded by Islington Council, the Adventure playground has welcomed generations of Islington’s children to play.
