Councillor Anne (first on the right) at Fair Play's Inauguration. CREDIT: NATHALIE ESFANDI
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Nathalie Esfandi helped create the first playground in the UK that’s fully accessible by disabled children. She, and Barnet councillor Anne Clarke, reflect on its first month since opening.
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Fair Play Barnet is the first playground in the UK that is fully accessible by children with disabilities, with many games and structures specifically designed for them.
It is the result of Nathalie Esfandi’s vision: “I really believe in the importance of physical and cognitive development for everyone.
“Travelling around the world I saw different playgrounds that are accessible and inclusive and I didn’t understand why in the UK it just didn’t exist”.
She met Deborah Gundle, the co-founder of Fair Play, who has a son with cognitive impairments, and together they turned their idea into reality.
Children using the equipment at Fair Play. CREDIT: NATHALIE ESFANDI
The project was proposed to councillor Philip Cohen, who helped raise £100,000 for the project, with the help of Barnet’s council. The three of them collaborated to raise a total of £500,000. The playground took two years before opening officially on February 2024.
Natalie said:
“It is so nice to see kids that never been in a playground before, being pushed by their siblings, all having having a day out
“It is the sense of social inclusion. I also saw these children who have never seen a kid in a wheelchair before.
“They were a bit wary in the beginning but after five minutes they were all playing together and it was so nice to see. They didn’t see the differences anymore”.
Councillor Anne Clarke, who was also present at the inauguration of the playground, commented on its first month since opening:
“There has been a huge amount of interest and excitement about it. It’s a new thing and people come from different boroughs in London for this playground”.
The councillor also explained why the playground is a success story: “I think the key is communication. It all sparked from a conversation between councillor Cohen and the two co-founders.”
She believes that Fair Play can inspire other people to take action and discuss creative projects with their councils:
“As a council we receive hundreds of proposals every year but we have a limited budget.
“What makes the difference are people like Nathalie and Deborah who take initiative and are willing to get funding and collaborate with the council.”
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HeadlineBarnet’s accessible playground is ‘first of its kind’ says councillor
Short HeadlineBarnet councillor praises UK's first inclusive playground
StandfirstCo-founder Nathalie Esfandi and Councillor Anne Clarke reflect on how the playground is benefitting the community.
Nathalie Esfandi helped create the first playground in the UK that’s fully accessible by disabled children. She, and Barnet councillor Anne Clarke, reflect on its first month since opening.
Listen to this article powered by AI
Fair Play Barnet is the first playground in the UK that is fully accessible by children with disabilities, with many games and structures specifically designed for them.
It is the result of Nathalie Esfandi’s vision: “I really believe in the importance of physical and cognitive development for everyone.
“Travelling around the world I saw different playgrounds that are accessible and inclusive and I didn’t understand why in the UK it just didn’t exist”.
She met Deborah Gundle, the co-founder of Fair Play, who has a son with cognitive impairments, and together they turned their idea into reality.
Children using the equipment at Fair Play. CREDIT: NATHALIE ESFANDI
The project was proposed to councillor Philip Cohen, who helped raise £100,000 for the project, with the help of Barnet’s council. The three of them collaborated to raise a total of £500,000. The playground took two years before opening officially on February 2024.
Natalie said:
“It is so nice to see kids that never been in a playground before, being pushed by their siblings, all having having a day out
“It is the sense of social inclusion. I also saw these children who have never seen a kid in a wheelchair before.
“They were a bit wary in the beginning but after five minutes they were all playing together and it was so nice to see. They didn’t see the differences anymore”.
Councillor Anne Clarke, who was also present at the inauguration of the playground, commented on its first month since opening:
“There has been a huge amount of interest and excitement about it. It’s a new thing and people come from different boroughs in London for this playground”.
The councillor also explained why the playground is a success story: “I think the key is communication. It all sparked from a conversation between councillor Cohen and the two co-founders.”
She believes that Fair Play can inspire other people to take action and discuss creative projects with their councils:
“As a council we receive hundreds of proposals every year but we have a limited budget.
“What makes the difference are people like Nathalie and Deborah who take initiative and are willing to get funding and collaborate with the council.”
