Plot 10 play centre closure - 'It's our world, and now they want to close it', say kids

Published: 16 December 2010
by RICHARD OSLEY

MOST children will have taken great care over their Dear Santa lists this Christmas, perhaps dreaming of a new bike or a computer game.

But the youngsters at Plot 10, one of the longest-running play centres in the borough, only really want one thing: their favourite place in the world to be saved from closure.

Yesterday (Wednesday), they danced the afternoon away to the music of Dizzee Rascal and The Black Eyed Peas at the annual Christmas party in the hope that the music would play for ever.

The reality, so painful to staff and volunteers, is that this may have been the last festive party to be held in Chalton Street.

The club, which runs breakfast and after-school sessions, a lifeline for working parents, is one of a string of centres at risk of closure  amid plans to decimate historic council funding for the play service.

The Town Hall blames the government for hacking back public spending for its decision to prioritise money on services which help children with disabilities.

David Jaramillo, 10, said: “We would all be very sad if there was no Plot 10. We play football, do crafts, play table tennis. Everybody here are friends. You make new friends here and everyone is welcome.”

More than 50 were at yesterday’s party, their eyes lighting up when Father Christmas ap­peared with a sackful of early Christmas treats. Some of the children have been going to Plot 10 for as long as six years and feel like they have grown up with the centre. Many of the parents with long-standing roots in the area remember going to Plot 10 when they were children themselves.

“This is the heart of the community – right here,” said one last night. “You only have to take the trouble to come down and see it.” 

Ella Ardley, eight, said: “It’s better than school. You learn here and meet people from all different cultures.”

And Nahom Medhanie, 11, added: “We will all be miserable if they close down Plot 10. Very sad. What will everybody do? We will have nothing to do and we will be out on the streets.”

In a letter to the New Journal today, the management committee of Plot 10 warn that by streamlining services Camden will “stigmatise” children who do qualify. 

They warn that parents will be left with nowhere affordable – and safe – for their children while they are at work. 

Alexandra De Sousa, a magistrate who has used the childcare at Plot 10, said: “The government is encouraging people to go out and do voluntary work. 

“I do that as a magistrate, but how do they expect people to be able to do that if they can’t find the childcare they need? How can people go out and study and find work without that support?”

• See Letters

• Send us your memories of Plot 10 and Camden’s other play centres to editorial@ camdennewjournal.co.uk