21 Jan 2010

The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Omar Faruque Ansari, was on hand on  21 January to officially open a much needed and long awaited new playground at Christopher Hatton Primary School.

Last year parents, teachers and children at the school appealed for donations from neighbouring businesses and community groups to create more play space for 220 pupils at the school who had only one third of the outdoor space recommended.

Some of the funds were raised through cake baking, sales of the children's artwork, tea towels and collection boxes. The school's key funding strategy was 'The Wanderwall', where parents and businesses were encouraged to pay to name the bricks in the future playground. Lakehouse and its supply chain supported this initiative, helping to raise £16,000 for the bricks alone.

The new playground, created by Lakehouse, was formed from a redundant Council owned car park in Clerkenwell. Within a restricted dense urban site surrounded by tower blocks the new playground provides increased external play space and a range of play experiences for the children. These include active and contemplative play spaces, a games court, nature garden, outdoor theatre, new steps and ramps to link upper and lower playgrounds.

The children put on a mini concert and wrote their own song to thank everyone who had helped to make their dream of a new playground become a reality. Head teacher Gwen Lee, is delighted with the state-of-the-art facilities, and thanked Lakehouse for the successful completion, despite the bad weather at the end of last year. The children are already making excellent use of their new playground, rolling down the hills and balancing on tree stumps.