Get your blanket out for Teddy Bear picnics!!!

This week the Royal parks are celebrating the updated playgrounds in the Richmond Park and Bushy Park by having three Teddy Bears’ picnics!
Such a wonderful way to celebrate the end of summer too!

So take your children and their favourite teddy or cuddly toy and go for a picnic and an afternoon of free craft activities, games and a ‘best dressed ted’ competition to Richmond Park or Bushy Park!

Children will be able to get creative and stretch their imaginations with a variety of craft activities at Richmond and Bushy Park picnics on the 29th, 30th and 31st August. There will also be a guest appearance from The Royal Parks’ very own teddy.
Very exciting isn’t it?
If you love in London or the surrounding areas you already know what a fantastic place Richmond Park is!

Here’s the list with the events:

Date: Wednesday 29th August
Time: 11:30am – 3.30pm – Best dressed Ted at 1.30pm
Location: Richmond Park, Petersham Gate Playground

Date: Thursday 30th August
Time: 11:30am – 3.30pm – Best dressed Ted at 1.30pm
Location: Richmond Park, Kingston Gate Playground

Date: Friday 31st August
Time: 11:30am – 3.30pm – Best dressed Ted at 1.30pm
Location: Bushy Park Playground

If you are going to the events please let me know how it all went and maybe you can even write about it if you are a blogger.

Below you can read a few things about how and why the upgrade of the park was done:

Thanks to funding from the London Marathon Charitable Trust large timber climbing frames, hammocks, a water play feature, swings and see-saws – to name but a few of the new additions – have been added across the three playgrounds. Children inspired by the London Marathon and London 2012 will be able to use the playgrounds to develop their social and play skills whilst maintaining a healthy balanced lifestyle.

Pergolas have been installed at Petersham Gate playground in Richmond Park and the Bushy Park playground to increase the amount of shade available for parents and the children, with additional seating created at all three.

Linda Lennon CBE, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks said:

“Now the playground works have been completed it is great to see children back playing and letting their imagination run wild – pretending to dig for buried treasure in the sand pit, climbing over the Scottish boulders rounded by ancient glacial rivers, or scaling the climbing frame. The Teddy Bears’ picnics will be a wonderful way to round off a very satisfying project and we look forward to seeing families there enjoying the day.

“We want our playgrounds to be exciting and fun while also reflecting their unique setting within the historic landscape. The Royal Parks’ landscape architect and park management teams have achieved this and added a wide array of equipment and features for younger children and more adventurous older children, to enjoy.”

So bring your teddy and a picnic and head to the playgrounds to celebrate the improvement works with us.

John Bryant, Chairman of the London Marathon Charitable Trust, said:

“The Trust is delighted to join in partnership with The Royal Parks to ensure these valuable play facilities remain available to all, providing varied and challenging experiences for younger members of the community. We know that one of the first opportunities for exercise open to many children is in a local playground and we are pleased to be making a lasting contribution to the fitness of these youngsters.

“In the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games it is appropriate that the Trust should fund a facility which will enhance the health legacy of the Games.”

Redevelopment of the three playgrounds in Richmond and Bushy Parks began in 2010 with an award of £225,000 funding from the London Marathon Trust. The main aim of the project is to create a challenging and stimulating environment for play while also increasing capacity and accessibility.

Consultation with playground visitors identified a need to improve provision for children aged under 5 and a need for more challenging equipment for children aged 8-12. A selection of equipment including a nest swing, see-saws, play sculptures and a turtle drum have all been installed to accommodate the younger age group. In addition climbing frames and balance beams have been installed as a physical challenge for the 8-12 year olds while the introduction of a water play feature and play boulders allows opportunity for social play.