ABOUT US
Our Adventure Playground offers over an acre of safe, staffed space where children & young people can come to play, make new friends, develop skills & try new things.
We are open to children of every background between the ages of 6-16.
We believe
- children thrive with positive social interactions
- play helps children develop responsibility through risk
- that children who can play freely develop strong social skills and positive connections with others in their community
- that children need space to take responsibility, explore and challenge themselves
We also have a Under 5s Stay and Play program, community volunteer days in our edible garden, corporate volunteer opportunities, 17-21 employment and training programs, and rent our premises for parties.
OUR MISSION
We believe that children in the borough of Lambeth from birth to twenty-one years old have the right to play freely and safely in a healthy outdoor environment. We believe such activity is important to their social, mental and physical well being and as such contributes to their present and future lives.
We Believe in CHILD-LED PLAY!
Who uses us?
During the holidays we can have 100 adventurers with us.
The Under 5s Stay and Play averages 15 children and their carers.
Over the year we have well over 5,000 visits to the playground alone. While we do not target a particular ethnic group 73% of the children that use us are from Black and multi ethnic groups.
Registration data:
Over 1000 local families with 1500 children are registered (’23 – ’26).
50% of the children are and 50% are girls.
Children attend a wide range of schools; 80+.
About 75% of our families qualify for Free School Meals.
About 20% are SEND families.
About 22% children report allergies.
Lambeth:
– has an index of multiple deprivation score of 8, meaning it’s one of the most deprived local authorities.
– has the third highest rate of households in temporary accommodation.
– 39% of children in the borough are living in poverty.
– Stockwell West & Larkhall has highest proportion of 10-14 year olds (30%).
Most Saturdays there are at lest 10 green fingered good humoured volunteers working away in the edible garden.
Families hire the facilities on Sundays almost every other weekend, leaving plenty of room for your child’s party!
Children per day
Play Sessions Per Year
%
Black & multi ethnic groups
%
Qualify for Free School Meals
Entry is FREE!
LSo much to do
There’s a big emphasis on outdoor free play. We’re a child led facility. The adventurers tell us what they’d like to do. We’ve got an Edible Garden too. The kids also come inside the huts to try arts and crafts, read, nap, join in a cookery session, challenge others to table tennis and much more.
Recent activities, events & projects include:
- Seasonal sales of our delicious Slade Gardens honey and vegetables.
- Brixton Soup Kitchen distributed free back to school supplies to local families.
- Felix Food distributon on Fridays.
- Girl Guides & Brownies weekly meetings.
- Brixton Chamber Orchestra held concerts.
- Fabulously fun community Sports Day every summer.
- In partnership with Urban Growth we have a productive edible growing area, pond and greenhouse. We encourage and include children and young people to try out their gardening skills.
- Our excursions for the APG group include Tate Gallery, Vauxhall City Farm, movie visits, skateboard park, Science Museums, workshops, the sea side and much more besides!
- Community Events are increasing in variety as we welcome suggestions from our families, from Jazz Night, Comedy Night, Still Life Drawing Classes, Pre Loved Table Top Sales, Supper Clubs & more
- We love bringing the community together for Bonfire Night too.
Want to come along?
Just turn up! All you need to do is register first and sign in. Staff are on hand to ensure your safety and enhance everyone’s play experiences. Parents and carers are welcome.
Childcare groups and play schemes are also welcome but we ask that you contact us to book first to avoid overcrowding.
Trustees
Katharina Bielenberg, Chair
Frances Earlam, Secretary
Roy Simpson, Treasurer
Jamie Bulloch
Michaela Carmichael
Gilly Johnson-Hill
Janis Marsh
Nkechi Ashiedu
Olga Muniz
Contact us if you would like to learn more about being a trustee. We welcome enquiries of interest. We are actively looking for trustees with financial, IT, building project management, carpentry, painting, community development, social media, communications, marketing or fundraising experience. We are also seeking user perspectives of the facilities as a parent or carer or a young person (18 – 25 yo) to be represented on the board. Is this you? Time commitment is two hours per month, and more if you can spare it.
Past Trustees
In March 2025 as previously in April 2023 we said goodbye to two amazing trustees Robin Langton, who stepped down as Chair, and Veronica Plowden, who was Secretary. They have poured their heart and soul into Slade Adventure Playgrounds. Our community is forever grateful for all that they have done over the years. Together, with a team of then concerned locals, they formed this charity in the 90s to keep the adventure playground open.
Thank you also to Renata Funari, our most recent Secretary, Tom Stabler, our most recent Treasurer, Crispin Royle Davies previously Treasurer and Annabel Elkington previously Co-Chair. Special mention to Jonty Edwards and Rebecca Jarvis for their dedication and support as Trustees.
All our trustees, past and present, make a positive difference to the lives of neighbourhood children. Let us know if you’d like to join the board – to help with IT, the new building, or children’s play. Thank you.
Staff
Rana Kadiri, Charity Manager, is the first port of call for all enquires.
Our team of dedicated play workers, led by Simone Lindsey, are here to help and enhance every visit.
Olga Muniz, Trustee, manages the Edible garden and gardening club.
Please join us in celebrating Janis Marsh, interim Charity Manager, who returns to being our lead safeguarding Trustee, and Cadella Patterson, who guided us for many years and moved to a new role at the end of 2025. We wish her well.
Membership
There is no charge for membership – it’s FREE to be a member. Members vote at AGMs and can have an active and crucial role in how we work!
Members must be 18 years of age or older and support the Charity’s work for the children of Lambeth as set out in the Constitution and the Community Service Agreement.
When you register as a user family, you automatically become a member.
As a community charitable organisation, we encourage all members of our community, be it caregivers, local schools, friends or neighbours to join the association to have representation and have a vote at our AGMs.
We are your community.
Please get involved.
We’re better together.
and
Everyone IS welcome!
Important information
View and download a copy of our safeguarding policy.
Sponsors, Friends and Contributors
As an organisation that relies 100% on grants, donations, gifts in kind, legacies, and volunteers, we are very grateful to the following
Grants
Awards for All
Children in Need
Fressport Fund
Garfield Weston
Gregg’s
Haberdashers
Hedley Trust
Hibbert Trust
Hindon Trust
Lambeth Council
LCHN
Lord Mayor’s Green City Fund
Longfield Sgapveilia
OBE Foundation
Pinebridge Global Funds
Play England
Power to Change Trust
Sainsbury’s
St Matthew’s Church, Brixton
Social Investment Bank
Southwark Council
Stockwell Park Residents Association (SPRA)
Stockwell Revolving Dinner
Tesco
The Peter Minet Trust
Waitrose
Walcot Foundation
Woodward Trust
Woodward Education
Young Lambeth CO-OP
Volunteers & Partners
Alphatrack Systems
Architectural Association
Aviva
Bank of America
Bee Urban
Karen Sorab, Beyond Autism
BUPA
Churchman Landscape Architects
Danone
Dasl
Daylesford Organic
Deutsche Bank
Equals Consulting
Friends of Slade Gardens
Fluro Finance Platform
Goldsmiths College
Jam Jar Flowers
Legal & General
London Play Design
Maremma Restaurant
Max Architects
Pinnacle Group
Pinebridge
Price Waterhouse Cooper
QBE
Ricoh
Santander
Urban Growth
Volunteering Matters
Whitby Ward
Winkworths
XCO2
and those that have left us a
Legacy in their Will
or
Donated GIFTS IN KIND
You’ve made a BIG impact on the lives of the kids in Lambeth. Thank you!
OUR HISTORY
On 22 June 1944, a flying doodle bomb hit and destroyed several houses in Stockwell. Killing 11 people, the damage led to an empty space that allowed the formation of Slade Gardens which became the site for our much-loved adventure playground.
In 1999 Slade Gardens Community Play Association was created as a charitable trust responsible for running the Adventure Playground and the many other things we do as a community hub.