• The work helped enhance a rewarding, stimulating playground for local children.
• We created a masterplan for landscaping the playground and introducing new planting.
• More than 30 Arup volunteers put the plans into action during construction days.

The Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground in Kennington, London, provides high-quality play for disabled children, their brothers and sisters and children from the local community.

In 2014, Arup staff took part in two Habitat for Humanity construction days at the playground – restoring and enhancing the landscape and creating foundations for a new prefabricated office building. This new office building will provide the charity’s staff with vital additional space for assessing children and getting their paperwork done.

Before our volunteers got stuck into construction, we drew up an aspirations masterplan for the playground’s landscaping. This showed how a series of mini-projects could make the playground a more rewarding environment for the children.

Groups of Arup volunteers put the plan into action during construction days. They cleared weeds and added more planting, built a footpath to link different areas of the playground, and created a sensory herb garden around the kitchen building.

Having helped set out and dig foundations, we also added planting around the new timber prefabricated building in time for its grand opening.

We haven’t finished yet. Our masterplan for the playground includes replacing the ageing ‘tree house’ – a raised timber play platform and walkway – with a fully accessible structure. More Arup volunteers will donate their time in 2015 to make this a reality.

Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity has given much-needed support to this vital community resource in a time of austerity and has provided a fulfilling opportunity for our staff to put their skills to use.

The partnership with Habitat has been the project-saving turning point that CCAP needed… Without the work of Habitat for Humanity, we can’t do what we’re doing in the way we need to. Beverley Salmon (CCAP Manager)

Habitat for Humanity are very grateful for the invaluable help given by Arup volunteers. The works were a great success and have provided the facility with a major boost in both investment and encouragement! David Clare (Habitat for Humanity Business Development Manager)