How do you encourage families to use it?
Our was built on a featureless piece of land which was always called the rec (recreation ground) but hasn't been used as such for many years. I used to play on it when I went to my Grandma's, must be ooh easily the best part of some time ago. Sixty years.
The local population has changed since then but there are still children.
Mary
In article , Mary Fisher writes
I'm involved with the local children and worked with them on what they want(ed), I supervise at the youth club and run the playing field committee so direct involvement has been the key for us, it helps that I have only the mental age of most of them anyway :-). We are just about to start a youth football team up (new goals have just arrived so that's another job to do). My two children are 12 and 15 and we live in a village environment so I felt it was important to channel the energy in a positive direction rather than let them drift into delinquency, as a group we take them bowling, to the theatre, tobogganing etc and this in turn has fostered a good community spirit amongst them. Having nabbed the children we now organise events on the field for the rest of the family, get the children to come and most of the parents will follow.
That's a great record. There are differences in your situation and the one near our house though. We used to be involved with children too, in this area we ran summer holiday projects for years and also helped at after school clubs. At the holiday projects we often took the children to an innovative playground some miles away, the children loved it, they'd never seen anything like it and had to be encouraged - persuaded - bullied sometimes into using the equipment. They needed constant supervision.
We live in an inner city area, the traditional (century old but constantly changing) immigrant area, so I imagine that there are cultural differences between our population and that of your village. It's also the red light, high crime and drug centre of the city. I still believe that most people are doing the same as most of the rest of the population round the world: trying to bring up their children in the best way they know. But playing outdoors doesn't seem to be part of that ambition. The playground was built to encourage it but there's no supervisory activity, no David or Mary (I'm too old now) to take the matter in hand. I really think that's the main problem. It's easier for parents to let the children watch television or play computer games than take them to the park and the kids don't seem to want to go by themselves. Perhaps they're not allowed to ...
It's a great shame and a huge waste of public money. Having put that capital expenditure into it it surely wouldn't take much more to provide at least a part-time leader. There's a specially built sports club almost next door, their activities could be extended to younger children in the playground.
Perhaps I'll get on to the local authority about it ... with elections coming up and it being a highly visible amenity something might happen ... there's more to community than Carnival.
Thanks for your input, it's inspiring. I wish there some of your ilk where I live, there used to be :-(
Mary
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