To be annoyed that they didn't open the playgrounds in Regents Park today

[10FingersOnTheFender]

Went into Regents Park for a walk and thought we'd give DS a good go on the adventure playground there...only to find it padlocked shut

It's not exactly a local park either. And I forgot to bring his balance bike / scooter so was relying on the playground.

Why, when they bother to open the parks, would they not open the playgrounds? Aren't we meant to be encouraging our kids to play outside? To close the playground is not really in the spirit of promoting outdoor play

You forgot the bike.

If your DC were bored take the blame

Playground don't need staff! I wouldn't have been annoyed if they needed staff.
They need as much staff as they do to open and close the park.

I think a strongly worded letter of complaint might be in order then OP.

Have you logged it with 101?

I know someone who works as a park supervisor- they absolutely do have to have staff to check things like whether bottles, glass, injecting equipment etc has been left around, unfortunately children's playgrounds are not only used by children and can have hazards in them. They would not have been able to clean and clear the playground this morning with it being Christmas Day. It isn't a self-cleaning self-operating facility like you suppose.

So you expect minimum wage staff to go to work even ‘just’ for a wee while to open the area, just because you can’t be arsed dealing with your kid yourself? Shit one. You could google on Pinterest things to entertain your offspring, if their consumer products they probably received today were just not enough.
HTH.

1/10

Adventure playgrounds do need staff even if not obviously on hand. First aiders etc.

I would have thought a quick sweep for dog poo, broken glass, needles etc would be advisable at the very least.

Thanks for the laugh!

Honestly OP, how unreasonable they are. All they had to do was contact you to enquire when you would like the staff to turn up to enable your child to play in the playground. I mean what else could they possibly be doing on a random day such as today? How else is your special snowflake going to be able to play?

GAFL

ODFOD

What happened to:
Collecting fallen leaves
Poking things with sticks
Sword fights with sticks
Sticks as guns
Poo sticks
Digging molehills
Looking for worms
Looking for woodlice
Bark rubbing
Bird watching
Counting activities
Colour naming activities

I could go on....

Let's start a MN campaign
Bring back Percy the Park keeper!

I dread to think what you would have done if the park itself had been closed. Self-combust I expect.

That's a bit shit.

Plenty of families like a run about in the playground on Christmas Day.

I don't see why they couldn't have unlocked the playground gate. Maybe they forgot?

Wow staff are supposed to come in to work to open a kids park and check it all ovet for hazzatds. Take said hazzards to depository (which would prpbably be shut seeing as its xmas day) and then come back at night and evict anyone hanging around and lock up. Just so your kid can play there? Just wow.

Use your imagination. You forgot the bike nobody else is responsible for your kids fun.
Run around with him, climb trees not 'equipment' etc. A good walk would be fine too looking at different leaves, berries, birds etc. There are a million things to do with a child outside. Do we really need to be spoonfed fun for goodness sake?

Good God surely people are entitled to a break one day. I mean medics obviously are a exception.

Also why would you want to go a park in this weather anyway. It's balltic. You can drop the Mrs Tumble act for one day

Is it possible for the OP to contact the council and set up a team of volunteers to staff the park over Christmas 2018?

It takes a particularly miserable person to get annoyed by this on Christmas Day.

Could someone please pass me the plate? I'd like a slice of the OPs arse.

I'll hand it on.....

Are there any animals missing after the fire at the zoo?

Yes a specific children's playground has higher health and safety requirements than a general park. So every day before it is opened staff have to check for dog and cat poo, needles and broken glass and remove them, and do a quick visual inspection of the equipment - there will be more detailed weekly inspections. There will be a sheet to record this has been done and it will be a condition of insurance to do this as its pretty standard. It is not simply a case of unlocking.

Fair enough. I accept I was wrong to assume that the playground isn't staffed.
@Clitoria do you know for a fact that park staff at the Royal Parks are on minimum wage or is that, like mine, an assumption.

Separately, I'd be more than happy to volunteer with a few other people to do whatever needs to be done to allow the playgrounds in Regents Park to be open on Christmas Day.