Weavers Adventure Playground is located in Bethnal Green at Weavers Field Park near Oxford House in Tower Hamlets. It began in 1974 and has been a safe space ever since for countless children and young people to explore creative ways of being adventurous and ‘risky’ in their play under the supervision and guidance of playworkers. This oral history project started in June 2022 and ended in May 2024, and was kindly funded by the Gilda Street Trust.
We recorded 13 oral history interviews, which included memories of inventing your own football with worn-out clothing and making up your own games with a bag of elastic bands; going to bonfire nights to watch the fireworks with your friends; of Weavers being an escape from the stress and worries of day-to-day life; fun memories of trips to the seaside and parties during Halloween and Christmas periods; volunteering at Weavers in the kitchen to make hot nutritious food for the kids, being there for the local community by setting up a foodbank during the Covid-19 pandemic and finally the funny and memorable stories of adults and parents coming back to share how grateful they are for a place like Weavers and the positive and transformative impacts it has had in their lives.
Read more in the project's booklet 'Weavers Adventure Playground: An Oral History' published in April 2024. Access a digital version of the booklet here, or contact us if you would like a copy of the booklet.
Funded by the Gilda Street Trust.
People involved in this community heritage project are:
Tania Aubeelack conducted research and interviewed people for this project. She wrote the booklet and website and selected the oral history quotes.
Rosa Schling edited the booklet and website text.
Yinka Danmole designed the booklet.
Thanks:
On the Record wants to thank the Gilda Street Trust for funding this project, everyone at Weavers Adventure Playground and everyone who generously shared their memories with us:
Beverley Burnett, Valerie Thompson, Lurline Blake, Errol Wynter, Linda Kelly, Zaffer Hassan, Alexander William, Jack Anderson, Brian Williams, Michelle Handley & Andrea Rawlings, Simon Rix, Steve Odlum, Bertlyn Springer
Weavers Adventure playground wants to thank their funders for their support in keeping the playground open:
Children in Need, National Lottery Awards for All, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Parks and Recreation, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Holiday activities and Food provision (LBTH HAF), Wakefield Tetley Trust, London Lions Basketball team, Kitchen Social, Felix Project and Mayer Brown, our corporate sponsors. Also, special thanks to Tower Hamlets CVS, The Volunteer Centre, Street Games and Oxford House for their unlimited support.
