Location

Lockleaze Adventure Playground, Romney Avenue, Lockleaze, BS7 9SU

Tel: 0117 979 8311

Download the park's flyer (designed with the help of local children) here

Neighbourhood Partnership Area:

Horfield & Lockleaze

Opening times

Term time

Sunday, 11.30am – 2.00pm, 3.00pm – 6.30pm

Monday to Thursday, 3.30pm – 7.00pm

School holidays

Sunday, 11.30am – 2.00pm, 3.00pm – 6.00pm

Monday to Thursday, 11.00am – 2.00pm, 3.00pm – 6.30pm

How to find us

The playground is situated at the northern end of Romney Avenue, on the right hand side opposite Hogarth Walk. Buses 24 and 25 stop close to the playground.

Introduction:

The playground was built on waste ground at the end of Romney Avenue in the late 1960s. A local couple helped the local children build dens and swings until two teachers from Lockleaze seniors school, along with pupils, took a petition to Bristol City Council for support. In 1972 John Cleese officially opened the Playground, or as the locals call it, "The Vench".

Layout:

The building is on one level and is fully accessible, the main door of the building is level with the play area. We have recently had new doors and an accessible toilet to fit in with current legislation.

Local groups:

The local primary school often use the playground as a reward system for good behaviour of the class, the children were given several choices of where to go and chose the playground. Local parents have used the building for birthday parties.

Recent developments:

Developments including a vertical drop slide, installation of a climbing wall, re-surfacing and fencing of the ball court and other investments were completed in 2009 under the Play Pathfinder programme funded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families.

This site was chosen as a site for investment under the Pathfinder programme through an assessment process, which involved a review of location, appropriate size, visibility, recent investment (or lack of), relationship to other regeneration programmes, child density and expected relationship within the emerging Plans for the Parks and Green Space Strategy.

The budget for the site was determined by the size and potential scope of the project in relation to the Pathfinder resources, together with the identification of any additional funding available from sources other than Pathfinder.

Consultation:

We are constantly in consultation with the children and young people on a daily basis about what they would like to do that evening, on a short term basis helping to put the holiday programmes together with activity ideas, where to go on camps and trips and helping design the front cover, to long term basis deciding what they want on the playground. 

Links

Go Places Do Things - information and activities for young people, aged 13-19.

Play England - provides advice and support to promote good practice, and works to ensure that the importance of play is recognised.

Play in Bristol's parks and green spaces.

The Play Pathfinder development project.

Youth and Play Services in Bristol.

1BigDatabase - information and advice for parents and carers with children.