Evergreen Adventure Playground: nurturing community and play

ELBA organised a CSR Team Challenge at the Evergreen Adventure Playground (EAP) in Hackney, bringing together professionals from various companies. The event offered a unique opportunity for CSR leaders to engage in hands-on volunteering, network and hear directly from a vital community partner about the profound impact of their work.

The morning saw Pat, Inclusion & Finance Playleader, who joined Evergreen Adventure Playground in 2003 as an Inclusion Worker and has been a cornerstone of the organisation ever since, share compelling insights into EAP’s role at the heart of the Dalston community. Last year alone, an impressive 939 individual children accessed this child-led and child-centred play space, which operates five days a week, all year round.

Tailored experiences and lasting impressions

CSR professionals, alongside ELBA, then readily tackled playground maintenance, demonstrating the immediate, tangible benefits of group volunteering. Beyond the practical tasks, the event fostered valuable dialogue, allowing ELBA to gather feedback from CSR professionals on team challenges and how ELBA can support their work, whilst supporting community partners like EAP.

‘Volunteer days are vital to keeping Evergreen going,’ Pat emphasised. ‘They also provide a fantastic team-building opportunity for corporate groups. Corporate teams consistently return year after year, witnessing their hard work and impact firsthand.’

– Steven Sinclair, People Director, CBRE Investment Management

Uniquely inclusive

EAP is particularly renowned for its inclusive approach. It stands as Hackney’s only adventure playground that successfully integrates children with disabilities into mainstream play alongside their non-disabled peers. This is achieved through a dedicated inclusion project and the availability of specialist support workers, ensuring every child has the opportunity to play and thrive.

Arnold, EAP’s Senior Playleader and Healthy & Safety Officer, led a guided tour of this one-acre “hidden oasis” in Beehive Close. The tour revealed a vibrant space featuring a myriad of outdoor play equipment, an allotment, arts and crafts area, ponds and a cooking space — a true haven for discovery and growth.

Much of EAP’s publicity comes through word-of-mouth, with many children attending whose parents also played there as youngsters. This intergenerational connection is strong, with families even visiting from abroad, altering their travel plans to be closer to this unique play space.

Nurturing partnership and sustaining communities

ELBA’s deep understanding of their community partners, like EAP, ensures that volunteer days are never just “tick-box exercises.” Arnold warmly commented that ELBA provides an invaluable service to their organisation.

– Arnold, Senior Playleader and Healthy & Safety Officer, Evergreen Adventure Playground

But fundraising is a constant challenge for EAP, like many community organisations, and they are always eager to receive this type of support alongside group volunteering. Despite this hurdle, EAP’s impact is immeasurable. Situated in the middle of an estate, it provides a crucial sense of morale for families and young people, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds or struggling families.

– Pat, Inclusion & Finance Playleader at Evergreen Adventure Playground

*Thank you to Evergreen Adventure Playground and the following corporate supporters for participating:

• 40 Leadenhall
• ISS
• Man Group
• Financial Conduct Authority
• CBRE Investment Management
• CMS

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