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Original poster

National trust not opening outdoor playgrounds

85 replies

Snailsetssail · 23/07/2020 15:13

Is anyone else getting frustrated with the National Trust not reopening their outdoor playgrounds? I only pay NT membership because we visit a local site with a good play area that my small children love. There are no plans to reopen it soon, despite the government advice allowing it.

OP posts:
Merinocool · 23/07/2020 15:21

It might not be as simple as just opening it though. My husband works somewhere with a play area and our council said they would have to have a member of staff on the gate counting the numbers all day and they would have to have periods of times for cleaning it so they made the decision to keep it closed as they don’t have the resources for it.

Original poster
Snailsetssail · 23/07/2020 15:30

But local council parks don’t have any of that? No extra cleaning at all, just hand sanitizer on the way in and out.

OP posts:
sirfredfredgeorge · 23/07/2020 15:32

My husband works somewhere with a play area and our council said they would have to have a member of staff on the gate counting the numbers all day and they would have to have periods of times for cleaning it so they made the decision to keep it closed as they don’t have the resources for it.

That's a strange requirement by the council and does not match the UK government guidance on opening playgrounds. No such things are necessary.

Similar with the national trust, it's just little kids don't pay memberships, old people do, and more of them are scared of covid, so they don't want crowds around. Cancel your membership is probably the only way to get them to realise.

Fantasisa · 23/07/2020 15:34

It is infuriating! All the timetables I've seen for our local pools - indoor and out - so far don't feature family swimming. Children and their physical and mental wellbeing are being completely sidelined.

halcyondays · 23/07/2020 15:35

Actually they make a lot of money out of family memberships, we went a few weeks back and it was more families with young dc than anything else. They are limiting numbers considerably so shouldn’t be crowded.

Original poster
Snailsetssail · 23/07/2020 15:41

I’ve messaged them and they said they would have to look at extra cleaning and a ticket admission which isn’t possible at the minute.

Yes I also agree about the swimming! No family sessions here. It’s a terrible time to be a small child at the minute.

OP posts:
CoveredInBeeeees · 23/07/2020 15:44

Waddesdon’s is open, but then it’s kind of hybrid-run rather than ‘purely’ NT - can’t remember the exact arrangement.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 23/07/2020 15:48

Our local pool isn't open at all... They priortised the gym. They 'may' open in September for swimming lessons.

RosieLemonade · 23/07/2020 15:56

@Merinocool

It might not be as simple as just opening it though. My husband works somewhere with a play area and our council said they would have to have a member of staff on the gate counting the numbers all day and they would have to have periods of times for cleaning it so they made the decision to keep it closed as they don’t have the resources for it.
With all respect I don’t think this is true every where. Maybe it’s for privately owned playgrounds? All open round here. None of them are manned.
Merinocool · 23/07/2020 16:46

I know it’s not the case for every park, I’m just stating his isn’t open for those reasons so maybe national trust have their own guidelines to follow. Public parks don’t have any possibility of being controlled. Part of the reasoning he was given is they are a place with high visitor numbers, so chances of many people in a small play area.

newphoneswhodis · 23/07/2020 16:48

None of the playgrounds in my city are open. I am furious. My kids are desperate for a good run around. I can't understand why all other local councils open their playground and our council refuses.

Softpebbles · 23/07/2020 16:55

I totally get you. I took the children to a big outdoor park today. Not NT but lots of space and people go there to walk and cycle. Oh and you pay a healthy amount to park! They’ve kept their playgrounds shut, apparently opening in August. It’s the school holidays. People are socially distancing. Surely opening the play area people know they need to wash / sanitise their hands before eating etc.

Is it not about time they put the onus on people taking care of themselves. I understand the need to be careful but the children just played in the trees and climbed the instead - as were lots of other children. They won’t be sanitising their trees 😳

StarcourtMall · 23/07/2020 16:56

Our local council haven’t reopened playgrounds yet either. They’re all overgrown and taped off / locked still.

Peanutbutteryogurt · 23/07/2020 17:06

Not NT but our nearby children's farm, to which I have a membership, isn't opening its play areas. It's rules are no feeding animals, no touching animals, no going in pens, no play areas, cafe is take away only. Unsurprisingly I haven't been since you can't actually do anything.

falcon5 · 23/07/2020 17:16

It's how the guidelines are written. So they will say you "could implement a booking system" or that You are "advised to managed any potential risk" with cleaning, providing hand sanitizer etc. It's all quite widely written and non statutory etc but then has the sting sentence that if you don't comply with enforcement you coukd get imorisonment for up to two years. So some places read that and worry about being sued if they dont follow guidelines and just dont do it and some places just stick a note saying think about these things.

FurForksSake · 23/07/2020 17:18

We went to Wimpole and were gutted they weren't open when Waddesdon is and completely fine. It's got to change, people can regulate themselves and with some hand gel and limits to numbers going in it is as safe as anywhere else.

evenings11 · 23/07/2020 17:24

Is the issue that they depend on volunteers who are either shielding or not prepared to volunteer this year? So the paid staff have to look after a smaller area.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 23/07/2020 17:28

evenings11

No it’s not really that. Volunteers want to return, but so many staff are still furloughed they won’t allow the volunteers back til the staff are. The staff are worried the volunteers will take their jobs, so the volunteers aren’t back in many places.

Most properties are working with a very reduced work force and don’t have the staff to run everything.

BogRollBOGOF · 23/07/2020 17:42

My council opened up the playgrounds promptly (shame about the continued lack of toilets...) and just put a note on each playground with hygiene advice and a stupidly low capacity for social distancing and let everyone else get on with it.

superram · 23/07/2020 17:44

Osterley trail is open though the swings are tied up.

Fantasisa · 23/07/2020 18:11

We all should be writing and demanding parks open up again, the only thing that will do the trick is pressure. Our children deserve better than this and it isn't for local councils to over interpret the rules. Tower Hamlets hasn't reopened its parks! Inner city kids need and deserve to play!

SunbathingDragon · 23/07/2020 18:15

The government advice isn’t as simple as just allowing it though. Places are understandably scared of ending up with a manslaughter charge so are taking ultimate precaution and not opening (this extends to all kinds of places like some public toilets etc).

I agree this is a horribly difficult time for some children right now, as well as many adults and businesses.

falcon5 · 23/07/2020 19:33

I'd say the same .. the pressure should really be on the central government to make the guidelines clear that places aren't liable if they open and can't have cleaners going in or all the other suggestions and just put a notice up

SomewhereEast · 23/07/2020 20:35

I find this mystifying. My local council (East Yorks) and parish council have opened their playgrounds as normal. Several stately home type attractions round our way have opened them, one without any discernible changes at all. I don't get how this is magically possible here and not elsewhere?

modgepodge · 23/07/2020 20:38

@SunbathingDragon

The government advice isn’t as simple as just allowing it though. Places are understandably scared of ending up with a manslaughter charge so are taking ultimate precaution and not opening (this extends to all kinds of places like some public toilets etc).

I agree this is a horribly difficult time for some children right now, as well as many adults and businesses.

I cannot see how anyone could end up with a manslaughter charge here. Children don’t tend to get Covid seriously so the chances of a child catching it and dying are already tiny (especially if no preexisting condition - and presumably if your child was vulnerable you’d stay away from playgrounds?) children are presumably washing/sanitising their hands before/after using the equipment, thus reducing the risk of infection further. And if, god forbid, a child did catch and then die of Covid, how could it be proved they caught it at the playground?