A beautiful new playground designed by students has officially opened at Lift Aylward School in Edmonton, marking a strong partnership between education, construction and community.
The project was championed by Taylor Woodrow as part of their social value commitment to Enfield Council’s flagship Meridian Water project.
Taylor Woodrow delivered a 12-week project that gave last year’s year 9 pupils the chance to step into the shoes of architects and designers, spending months developing proposals, learning about construction, before they pitched their ideas to a panel of experts.
The winning design was then constructed over the summer by Taylor Woodrow and their key supply chain partners from Meridian Water.
The new facilities include a multi-use play court, new seating under a large timber shelter, amphitheatre steps, precast concrete ‘teacup’ benches, and a rain garden for students to enjoy throughout the year.
Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Enfield Council, Cllr Abdul Abdullahi, took part in the opening ceremony of the playground with the year 7 students who will be using the playground.
He said: “This was a fantastic project that gave young people a real say in shaping their school playground. It gave all the students involved valuable new skills and opened their eyes to the possibility of jobs in construction and design.
“This is another great example of how Meridian Water is not only building homes and infrastructure but also achieving real benefits for the local community.”
Lift Aylward’s Assistant Principal Jo O’Gorman said: “Our students had an incredible experience, with the team at Taylor Woodrow giving us so much - including work experience and project experience, and a lasting legacy for many pupils to enjoy in the future.”
One of the students in the winning team remarked: "Plan and Pitch has been an amazing experience for me. I got to bring my ideas to life while working in a team. We put a lot of thought into the design to ensure the new cohort of Year 7 students had a fun yet sustainable playground."
Josh Spavins, Taylor Woodrow’s Social Value Lead at Meridian Water, concluded: “We hoped to inspire young people and leave a genuine, tangible contribution within the local community. As a collective, we’re all proud of what has been achieved in collaboration. Construction is a wonderful industry to be a part of, and we look forward to seeing more bright young minds join.”
The project was made possible thanks to the leadership of Enfield Council’s Meridian Water team, who have always maintained that local businesses, local people and local communities would be the principal beneficiaries of the regeneration.