Islington Council to take on running of adventure playgrounds and interim nursery care from Islington Play Association this summer

Recognising the huge value of adventure playgrounds to thousands of children across the borough, the council has guaranteed the four playgrounds – Crumbles Castle, Lumpy Hill, Martin Luther King and Timbuktu – will continue to welcome children and young people, alongside the six other playgrounds run by Awesome CIC and one run by KIDS on the council’s behalf. 

The council will look for a new provider to take on these four facilities in the long term. In the meantime, it will run the adventure playgrounds itself through the summer to ensure continued support for children and young people, and safeguard the jobs of the playground workers. The council is stepping in following the decision by charity provider Islington Play Association (IPA) to surrender the contract to run the venues due to its own financial difficulties. 

IPA has also surrendered its contract to run the nursery at Paradise Park Children’s Centre. As a result, the nursery will close on 22 July. In recent weeks, the council has been working hard behind the scenes with families to match them to alternative affordable childcare placements at other settings to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

Of those requiring permanent placements after 22 July, the majority have accepted their offers. For the few children whose placements do not start until September, or who have not yet accepted an alternative place, the council has arranged temporary childcare provision at the Paradise Park site, to ensure a smooth transition. 

Cllr Una O'Halloran, Leader of the Council, said: “We’ve worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the four adventure playgrounds run by Islington Play Association will remain open throughout the summer and beyond, under our management, with no gap in provision. 

“This is great news for thousands of children and young people who can continue to explore, create and have fun while overseen by qualified play workers. 

“One of the best things about our adventure playgrounds is the committed staff, who know many of the children by name and have built important relationships with them. I’m pleased that our proactive approach has ensured that we’ve safeguarded their jobs, too. 

“I know it’s been an anxious time for the families affected by IPA’s decision to surrender the contract for Paradise Park nursery. With enough childcare available elsewhere, it didn’t make sense to fund a new, permanent replacement, but we are committed to making the transition to alternative, affordable settings as smooth as possible. 

“The temporary nursery provision we’ve set up will help ensure no child misses out on childcare over the summer, and we’ll keep working with their families to find them places for autumn.” 

Notes to editor 

The council is working with IPA to ensure a smooth transition for children and families who use the adventure playgrounds and those who attend the Paradise Park nursery. From 23 July, it will take on responsibility for all operational aspects of the four adventure playgrounds from IPA on an interim basis, until further notice. From the same date, temporary nursery provision will be set up on the same site for the small number of children who have not yet accepted a place at an alternative setting or whose placement starts in September. 

Adventure playgrounds 

Between April 2025 and May 2026, almost 1,100 children attended at least one of the four playgrounds run by IPA. There were more than 28,500 individual attendances. This is in addition to the six run by Awesome Adventure Play and one run by KIDS, all on behalf of the council. 

In the 2024/25 financial year across all of Islington’s adventure playgrounds, more than 3,300 children attended at least once and more than 2,200 visited at least five times. The playgrounds are designed to be inclusive for children with disabilities and feature eco-friendly elements and optional childcare. 

The playgrounds are also an important part of the council’s Holiday Activities with Food (HAF) programme, which provides free lunches with activities through the school holidays to some of the borough’s most vulnerable children. Almost 1,400 children attended an adventure playground last summer under the HAF programme, amounting to 38% of all HAF programme attendances in that period. 

The playgrounds are open after school during term time and all through the school summer holidays. They are supervised by qualified play workers and are free for children aged six to 13 who live or go to school in the borough. 

For many families in Islington, adventure playgrounds represent an essential community resource, offering safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces where children can make friends, develop life skills, and enjoy high-quality play opportunities close to home. 

Through supervised adventure play, children build confidence, resilience, independence, creativity, and social skills in an environment that encourages healthy risk-taking and positive relationships. 

The playgrounds are particularly valuable for children who may have limited access to outdoor space or structured activities, helping to reduce social isolation and inequalities. 

For more information see islington.gov.uk/AdventurePlaygrounds 

Temporary nursery provision 

The council is in direct contact with the families using the temporary nursery provision and will keep them informed of arrangements. 

The provision will be run by staff from the council’s Westbourne Early Years Centre until the end of September. Meanwhile, families will continue to be supported to find and move to longer-term childcare placements that suit their needs. 

The council carried out an engagement exercise with affected parents. Temporary nursery provision – which provides continuity of childcare, supports parental employment and allows time for transition into longer-term placements – was their preferred option. 

IPA employs the nursery staff and is responsible for all employment matters until 22 July. The council has reached out to offer the nursery’s teaching and learning staff the opportunity to support its temporary nursery provision from 23 July. This will provide further continuity and stability for children and families during the transition, as well as offer a degree of stability for IPA employees by extending employment for a further period, enabling them to seek permanent opportunities and consider their next steps.