Children and families have been an important part of CPUG’s work for many years. Our surviving records show the group raising issues about playgrounds, the paddling pool, the One O’Clock Club and other facilities, as well as organising activities for children and families.
Sometimes this has meant campaigning for facilities to be retained or improved. At other times we have contributed to consultations, raised concerns about proposed changes or organised activities ourselves.
Hackney Council owns and manages Clissold Park and is responsible for its playgrounds and other play facilities. CPUG’s role is to represent park users, provide a forum for discussion and contribute to decisions about how these facilities develop.
Supporting children’s facilities
Children’s provision appears throughout our earliest surviving records.
In 2002 CPUG supported the One O’Clock Club and raised issues concerning facilities for children. The following year, members met early-years representatives to discuss the club and explored whether the bowling pavilion could provide additional space for children’s activities.
The group continued to discuss the One O’Clock Club over the following years. Not every proposal resulted in change. In 2004, for example, applications for funding towards improvements to the One O’Clock Club and paddling pool were unsuccessful after they missed the deadline following conflicting information.
Summer activities for children
CPUG has also organised activities rather than only raising issues with the Council.
The surviving records indicate that a programme of school-holiday activities began in 2003 and continued over several summers. These included Summer Fun and the Big Draw, with CPUG members raising funds and organising activities.
By 2006, however, the amount of work involved was becoming difficult for a volunteer group to sustain. The records show concerns about finding enough people to continue organising the summer programme.
Improving the playground
The playground has repeatedly returned to CPUG’s agenda.
In 2008 the group raised concerns about the suitability and safety of replacement playground equipment and pressed for prompt remedial work and consultation. CPUG representatives Ken Worpole and John Hudson also walked around the park with the Mayor to discuss the issue.
Consultation followed, and by November replacement equipment had been installed by the Council. The park manager reported that users were satisfied with the final equipment. The records therefore show CPUG contributing to the process, rather than the changes being something the group delivered itself.
Play provision was also considered during planning for the major restoration of Clissold Park and House, when CPUG scrutinised proposals including the layout of play areas and how park users were being consulted.
Campaigning for the paddling pool
The paddling pool became another significant issue during the restoration period.
In 2009 CPUG challenged plans to close it during summer 2010 while restoration work was taking place. January 2010 minutes subsequently reported that the plan had been revised so that the pool could remain open that summer, explicitly attributing the change to concerns raised by the group.
This is one of the clearer examples in the surviving archive of CPUG’s representations contributing to a changed decision, although the records researched so far do not establish whether the pool subsequently operated throughout that summer.
The paddling pool later closed permanently. Its replacement splash pad and the future of the former paddling pool site have continued to be discussed at CPUG meetings in more recent years.
Swings and accessible play
Not every CPUG initiative has succeeded.
In 2017 the group launched a crowdfunding appeal for new swings, but it did not reach its target. Toddler swings were subsequently installed by the Council in 2019, but the surviving evidence does not establish that this resulted from CPUG’s earlier fundraising campaign.
Accessibility has become an increasingly important part of discussions about play. In 2025 CPUG’s accessibility representative raised concerns about a swing intended for disabled children that was considered unsuitable. Following discussions with Hackney Council, the equipment was replaced.
The wider redevelopment of the playground was a separate Council project and should not be confused with the replacement of this individual piece of equipment.
Renewing the playground
The playground is once again undergoing a period of change.
During 2025, CPUG meetings followed Hackney Council’s plans for a wider renovation of the playground. In March, members were told that a public consultation on the playground was forthcoming.
The project has continued to feature in more recent CPUG meetings as the proposals and consultation have developed, giving the group another opportunity to represent the experiences and priorities of people who use the playground.
A continuing part of our work
More than two decades of surviving records show how children and play have repeatedly returned to CPUG’s agenda.
The individual issues have changed, from the One O’Clock Club and Summer Fun to playground equipment, the paddling pool, splash pad, accessibility and the current playground renovation.
CPUG’s role has also varied. We have organised activities ourselves, raised funds, brought concerns to public meetings, contributed to consultations and represented park users in discussions with Hackney Council.
The continuing renovation of the playground means this remains an active area of our work today.