Glamis Adventure Playground is a lifeline in Shadwell— with some of the highest child deprivation in the UK. Since the late 1960s, we have provided a safe, free, and supervised haven where children can be children.

But today, our gates are under threat.

For over two years, we have been locked in a "prolonged and severe" administrative delay with Tower Hamlets Council over our lease renewal. While the Council recently voted to grant us a new 10-year rent-free lease in January 2026, the years of delay have already done the damage. We have missed out on £300,000 of funding from funders due to not having a lease in place.

We are normally funded by children in need and the lottery and lots of others funders.

The Crisis We Face

Funding Blockade: Without a formal, signed lease, we cannot prove "stable tenure" to major grant funders. This has blocked us from securing the essential income we need to survive.

We currently only have 3 months of funding left before we faced with major revisions in what we can offer our community , from the 10th February the 2 remaining staff will have their hours cut in half putting the playground of serious danger of closing sooner.

We serve over 2000 children all receiving a hot meal and being taught things such as bush craft, growing in the allotment and trips out as well as the import free play why does free play in adventure playground matter? well..

The Science of Adventurous Play

Adventure playgrounds are unique environments that facilitate "risky play"—activities involving height, speed, and tools.

Mental Health Resilience: Research from the University of Exeter shows that children who play adventurously have fewer "internalising problems" like anxiety and depression.

Risk Competence: Exposure to managed risk allows children to develop self-regulation and independent threat navigation, skills that are essential for long-term safety.

Cognitive Development: Scientists have found that self-directed play chemically modifies genes in the brain that support healthy cognitive growth and problem-solving.

2. Addressing Severe Local Deprivation

Our project serves a community where the need is most acute:

Poverty and Overcrowding: Over 60% of children in Shadwell live in relative poverty. Most live in overcrowded flats without gardens, making Glamis their only "green oasis".

Nutritional Intervention: We provide a hot, healthy meal at every session, serving over 1,800 meals last year to children affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

The "Three Frees": As an open-access site, we are free of charge, ensuring no child is excluded based on economic status.

3. The "False Economy" of Closure

Research indicates that every £1 invested in qualified playwork staff generates an estimated £200 in social benefits over 20 years.

Administrative Limbo: While the Council voted in January 2026 to grant a new 10-year lease, the two-year delay in formalising this has blocked us from the "stable tenure" required by major grant-giving bodies.

Service Cuts: This financial shortfall forced us to temporarily suspend our vital Thursday and Saturday programs through late 2025.

Critical Maintenance: Our current play structures are 15 years old and reaching the end of their natural life. We urgently need funds to replace them so children can continue to play safely.

How You Can Help

We are pursuing every avenue for emergency funding, but we need our community now more than ever.

Donate Online: Every pound helps us cover the shortfall while we wait for the final lease paperwork to clear the council’s desk. Then apply for core and capital cost funding.

Gift Aid It: If you are a UK taxpayer, we can reclaim an extra 25% on your donation at no extra cost to you.

Spread the Word: Share our story. The more people know about the "administrative limbo" threatening our playground, the harder it is for it to be ignored.

Don’t let 50 years of community history be erased by paperwork delays.

Help us keep the gates open for the next generation.

for more information and contact details please see website

https://www.glamisadventureplayground.org