Inclusive Children's Play and Sports, Epping

Aim

We aim to create Epping's most inclusive play and recreational outdoor space for children 0-18's years old.

Our Aviva Crowdfunder has now ended. If you've visited this page to support us please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/EppingPlayground

ALL ABOUT OUR PROJECT

We are a team of local parents who have volunteered to redevelop our local recreational space! We want it to be inclusive with a focus on sports and recreation. 

The current space! Lower Swaines Recreational Grounds, Epping, Essex.

We spoke to school children, youth groups and parents, to learn what they want to ensure this is a whole community project. 

Our plan is to redevelop the area to cater to 3 groups; toddlers (0 to 5 years), Juniors (5 to 8 years) and the specialist Sports and Recreation area (8-18 years), a group that is often forgotten about. 

Each area has been carefully designed, with children and young people's help, to benefit physical stimulation, social engagement and cognitive growth.

After particular research, we found girls tend to drop out of Sports and Recreation towards teenage years. With support from this group, we want to incorporate ways to keep them engaged in our special Sports and Recreational area, by hearing their voice in our plans. 

MEET THE TEAM

We have a Dramatherapist, a fitness specialist, a trauma training consultant so as a group we have an invested interest in physical and mental well being and this is at the heart of what we do. 

EPA Trustees after a successful fundraising event. Clockwise bottom left to right: Habibah (Project Manager), Donna (Events Co-Ordinator), Karen (Community Liaison), Siobhan (Chair) and David (Treasurer). 

FUNDRAISING 

HappyFest was our first event on-site. There was a focus on wellness and community and Lower Swaines saw a record amount of numbers. We used local catering services and independent businesses to support homegrown talent. This event raised £3,500 with tons of positive feedback about our work so far. 

We have made great links with local businesses that have fundraised and donated to see this positive change in our community. 

WHY DO WE WANT TO MAKE THIS CHANGE?

We know that sport and physical activity have the potential to transform lives through teamwork, exercise, commitment and purpose. This redevelopment offers a free outdoor space to achieve change. 

• Education: The participation of underachieving young people in sport has been found to have a positive impact on educational development.  

• Behaviour: Effective programmes that encourage participation in physical activities also have the potential to tackle ingrained anti-social behaviour. 

• Employment: Physical activity is known to release chemicals in the body that have the effect of increasing energy levels and feelings of positivity, which consequently increase motivation levels and productivity.  These factors are crucial when searching and applying for work. 

• Health: Participation in sport and physical activity results in a variety of health benefits, yet households with the lowest incomes are the least active and have the highest obesity rates. 

• Using Sports Coaching to transform lives: The impact of effective coaching on the lives and futures of participants is significant. Sports coaches can make a large contribution to improving the lives of vulnerable young people.  

WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS CHANGE?

There are two specialised educational settings for young people aged 11-18 at that have no access to green space on their site. The Towers School caters for children and young people aged 11-18 who are autistic. Open Box Education Centre is an alternative provision for 14-16-year-olds that caters for young people who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Our plans include a  dedicated sport and recreation zone and we are working in partnership with these settings and the Youth Council, to ensure that this space meets the needs of the young people who attend these settings, as well as 12,000 other locals from Epping. 

We have taken time to consider how our project will include those with disabilities, both visible and not, plus mental health benefits.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The state of the current space pushes families to travel elsewhere, often by car, so improving our local recreational area incentivises people to stay local and travel on foot, lowering carbon emissions, which we know is contributed by car use. We encourage this by holding great eco-friendly events to keep residents local and support their own community. 

Additionally, a better outdoors space will increase footfall in the surrounding forest area. This will spike interest in ecology, natural space and conservation. We have an existing local voluntary group Friends of Swaines Green, who promote free access to this public space, research and education. 

Click to learn more about this group and their positive impact.

COVID RECOVERY  

Covid-19, affected Epping quite badly in the last lockdown, with one of the highest rates in the country. National restrictions meant that any community activities had to be put on hold.

The pandemic highlighted the importance physical and social interaction has on our emotional well-being. It is therefore even more important that our play and sport is refurbished to a high standard and with as much recreation value as possible, supporting all age groups and families in the community.

Outdoor, public spaces such as parks, became lifelines for our physical and mental health during the pandemic. When public playgrounds were closed in the first lockdown, it brought the necessity for this project sharply into focus. We know that one in eight households in the UK has no outdoor space and playground closures left many local children and families with nowhere to play. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with no gardens were the most affected and we know anecdotally that many local families found this incredibly challenging. Lower Swaines Recreation Ground sits between a variety of residential settings. There are many families living in apartments with no gardens and large families living in social housing that craved an outdoor space that allowed for fun,  challenge and safe socialising. 

As trustees, we believe that children’s needs must be at the heart of recovery. Public recreational spaces are the most common places for children to go and it is, therefore, crucial that everyone in Epping has equal access to outdoor play in high quality, adventurous facilities. Play and sport are also often the heart of the community,  and we want ours to be a place that allows parents, grandparents, neighbours and children from all walks of life to meet and reconnect after this pandemic. Our plans reflect this.

Your support could make a massive impact on the developmental needs of 0 to 18years old.

                                                 THANK YOU 

This project successfully funded on 7th December 2021