Enjoying the opening of Alfred Road playground

A PLAYGROUND where children in wheelchairs can join in on the fun and games like everyone else has opened.

A fully accessible playground, in Alfred Road, Westbourne Park, is the first to be set up in Westminster.

It was designed so that wheelchairs can fit under the climbing frame area and also features a Whirl Spinner that is built at ground level to allow for easy boarding.

There is wheelchair space in the seating area, and an inclusive swing seat to ensure safety and comfort when swinging.

Sara Momtaz, a parent from Maida Vale who launched a campaign to get the playground installed, said: “As a parent of a child with complex needs, I am deeply committed to the idea that every child has the right to play, socialise, and learn together.

“While we have made significant progress in embracing diversity across various back­grounds, including ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation, indiv­iduals with disabilities often remain overlooked and under­valued within these discussions.

“To effect real change in our attitudes and behaviours towards people with disabilities, we must focus on shifting perceptions. The best way to achieve this is by allowing children to interact with and learn from these differences, helping them realise that our shared experiences far outweigh our distinctions.”

The Extra reported on Ms Momtaz’s campaign for the playground in February last year. She said she got the idea after watching a “brother and sister running around having a fantastic time” in a playground and seeing a boy in a wheelchair who couldn’t join in.

“The little boy’s face, I won’t forget it,” she said last year.

Her own daughter had also been diagnosed with Down’s syndrome which, combined with related medical conditions, and she realised how she was stopped from using traditional playground equipment like swings, slides and see-saws. She said: “The last time you were in a park, did you see a child in a wheelchair? If you have a child in a wheelchair there is just not enough for them to do.”

Eighteen months later the playground has had a £162,000 refurb, following a consultation that the council said schools, parents and children had been involved in.

The design with equipment created by playgrounds experts Play­scheme.

Rafaella Bertollini, assistant headteacher and Year 6 teacher at Edward Wilson Primary School, said the opening was an “amazing opportunity” for children to see how ideas could come into fruition.

Headteacher at Portman Nursery School and Church Street Family Hub, Annie Curtis, said it was “a really big step”.

Westminster’s deputy leader and cabinet member for adult social care, public health and voluntary sector, Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis said: “I’m so pleased that we have renovated the Alfred Road Playground with accessible equipment. This will make it a much more welcoming environment for disabled children and their families and enable all our local children to play together and enjoy themselves.

“We know that many families of disabled children feel isolated, as accessing services and spaces is not straightforward and we want to do everything we can to provide play areas that are accessible and inclusive to all.”

The council’s communities chief Councillor Cara Sanquest said she was “delighted”, and added: “We are pleased to have been able to work with local parents and children throughout the entire process of renovating the playground, and hope that local children and families will really enjoy this new facility.”