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The Thames Valley Adventure Playground New Annexe
Ever since the Thames Valley Adventure Playground opened its doors in the summer of 1982, we have been located on the Bath Road in Taplow, alongside Taplow Lake, in a totally secure 2-acre site. From the very first we have been driven by two main objects, both of which continue to receive that same priority today: namely, to offer an exceptional range of adventurous, therapeutic and educational play activities, providing fun and freedom in a safe, caring and stimulating environment for children and adults with all types of disability, however mild or profound, together with as much respite care as possible.
Indoor facilities boast a large interactive Soft Play area with ball pool and intelligent lighting. Multi-sensory and music rooms offer the latest technology for both stimulation and relaxation. Inside the main playroom you can enjoy arts and crafts, touch screen computers, a games room, quiet area and lots of toys and game. All areas, including the toilets and changing room, are accessible by wheelchair and hoist. Outside, there are specially-adapted bikes, trikes and battery cars as well as a wheelchair-accessible roundabout and swing. The elevated walkways allow our users to find out what it is like to get high among the trees, even if they can't actually climb one, and a specially-designed bucket seat with harnesses allows them to experience the thrill of whizzing down a zipwire.
The Playground experience is totally unique and offers something for everyone. With no formal catchment area, users travel from a wide area around the Thames Valley and beyond, stretching from Essex and Hampshire, up into Hertfordshire and down to the South Coast. They visit with their families, and as individuals for respite care, as well as as with schools, playschemes, day centres and residential units.
An OFSTED-registered day-care facility, the Playground is run by a voluntary Board of Trustees, with on-site care provided by four full-time, three part-time and 10 sessional staff, supported by a loyal band of volunteers. Open Tuesday to Saturday all the year round, Fridays are reserved for adults with special needs.
In May 2009 Rolf Harris opened our new annexe, which we had been able to build having received the most generous legacy from the Gold family, who lived in Hambleden.
On entering the annexe for the first time one appreciates the 'wow' factor it offers. Built out over the lake, it benefits from the amazing view to the south, across the water to farmland, and one can see the birds, the fishing and the water-skiing which also take place on the lake. In one corner of the annexe, right out over the water, any action in the lake itself is visible through the glass floor.
The annexe has given much-needed additional indoor space, as the demand for our services continue to rise. Whereas in 1982 we had six users each day, today that figure averages some 55 per day, with over 13,500 visits now made each year by our users with a special need, and a further 10,500 visits by parents and carers.
Although the Playground fulfils the founders' original dream, none of it would have been possible but for the ongoing support of those who donate the money which has kept us going for the past 28 years. Fund-raising is a never-ending battle, and the current financial problems do not help. All our money comes from voluntary donations, apart from possible grants for which we have to apply every year but with no guarantee that we will be successful. None of what we do qualifies us for any government funding.
If you can help in any way, please contact our Donations' Manager, Nicky Hutchinson, on 01628 628051. If you are interested in finding out more about on what goes on here, our website, www.tvap.co.uk, is a good source of information, but we would much rather welcome you to the Playground and, once through the gate, have the opportunity to show you what we are doing to help those children and adults with special needs.
Barrie Peroni Chairman, Thames Valley Adventure Playground