Questions from Children
How much does it cost to attend?
It is completely free to use the Adventure Playground however you need to complete a membership form, so that we have contact details for you in the event of an emergency.
Are there any snacks available?
On Saturdays and during the holidays, we have a tuck shop selling hot and cold drinks, a range of snacks and sometimes hot food. These are priced individually but are normally no more than £1 per item. We encourage children to bring their own food and drink where possible if they are to be here for the whole day.
How old do I have to be?
You can attend the adventure playground from the age of 8 years without a parent or carer. Children under 8 are welcome, provided that they are accompanied by a parent or carer over the age of 18 otherwise they will be asked to go home and their parents will be contacted to explain.
Anyone 18 or over without accompanying a child in their care, will not be permitted into the playground during staffed sessions and will be asked to leave in line with our policies and procedures.
Young people may apply to become “young helpers” if they want to be involved in the playground.
How do I know that I will be safe at the playground?
Staff are on site after school from Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and during the day on Saturday. Timetables sometimes change. You can always check when staff are here by looking at the home page on the website.
When staff are there they can help to make sure that everybody is safe, and you can always come to talk to them if you have a problem or are worried about something.
The staff also check the playground to make sure it is safe as soon as they arrive each day. They make sure that all of the equipment is safe to use and check for any hazards.
CCTV is running 24/7 and in the event of an emergency please call the police on 999 or 101.
Is there much to do?
There is loads to do at the playground. When staff are here, they sometimes open up the barges (have a look at the gallery page if you haven’t been to the playground before!) so there are things to do inside as well as out.
We are always looking for ideas for new things to do, so if you’ve got a good idea, let us know about it and we will see what we can do.
Questions from parents
Who will be looking out for my children whilst they are at the playground?
The playground staff are all DBS checked and are qualified or working towards an NVQ level 2/level 3 in Playwork or a higher qualification.
There will always be a minimum of 2 members of staff on site, usually more. If you have any concerns, please come along and have a chat with one of the playworkers.
We welcome parents to come to the playground and play alongside their children!
Do you provide childcare?
Whilst staff are on site to offer activities and ensure children and young people using the playground or safe, we do not offer a childcare service.
Children are free to come and go from the playground as they please and staff are not responsible for ensuring children remain at the playground, or for taking them home.
Is the playground open when staff are not there?
The playground is always open when staff are not on site however, there will be no access to the toilets, the main barge, the water pump or the use of the car park.
Do I need to do anything?
You need to fill in a membership form for your child so that we can get in touch with you if we need to. You can get a blank form from the playground, or print one off from the ‘Membership’ page of the website.
How do staffed sessions run?
Before sessions commence, staff will be doing site checks and litter picks as a necessary part of our role to ensure the site is clear of any hazards before children play. Please understand that during this time frame, staff will be unable to open up toilets, the play container or fulfil any requests until these jobs are complete. We will happily help out afterwards. All children will be required to sign in with their first name and age on our paper register upon arrival.
Afterschool sessions typically run from 3.15pm and finish anyway between 4.15 and 5.30pm (season depending). All times are posted on our calendar on our website. Saturday sessions run from 11am and finish between 4.15pm and 5.30pm (also season depending). We also run Stay and Play sessions in line with the children centre and these are closed sessions for parents with babies and toddlers up to 5 years of age. Any time we run a closed session, we will post on our website and put signs on our gate entrance.
How can I get involved?
We are always looking for people to volunteer at the playground, so that we can offer as much as possible to the children and young people that attend. If you would like to help generally, or you have a skill that you can share, would like to help out with fundraising or maintenance please let us know!
Adults age 18 or over may request to become a volunteer for the playground. You will need to fill out an application form which you can request from a member of staff. You will be required to undergo a full DBS check and an induction to the role.
We are also always extremely grateful for donations to the playground. Old tools, bits of wood, tyres, spare wellies and clothes for the children to wear for messy games, and anything else that might be useful or fun!
Questions from Residents
Who is responsible for maintaining the playground?
Cambridgeshire County Council have overall responsibility for the site.
If you have any concerns about the playground itself or the car park area, you can speak to playworkers on site or contact us using the details on the ‘Contact Us’ page of the website.
If your query relates to the land outside the perimeter fencing of the playground, playworkers may be able to help or pass on your query to the relevant person, but otherwise you will need to contact Cambridgeshire County Council.
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/contact.htm
I have seen some young people misbehaving at the playground, what should I do?
If you witness any criminal activity at or around the playground, you need to report it directly to the police. If you do not feel it is necessary to inform the police, but still have concerns, please come and speak to a playworker on site. We are always willing to listen and will do our best to respond effectively.
We have a close working relationship with other departments at the County Council and with the police, and the more information we have, the more effectively we can target our services to meet the needs of the community.
