Blacon Adventure Playground recognised for ‘making a difference’

6th September 2024

The team at Blacon Adventure Playground are celebrating after picking up a prestigious award recognising the difference they make to the local community.

The playground was announced as the winner in the ‘Green’ category of the BBC Merseyside Make a Difference Awards during a sparkling ceremony held at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool on Thursday 5 September.

The annual awards aim to recognise and say thank you to the people and organisations who love to make life better for others.

The playground, known locally as ‘The Venny’ is run by Blacon-based social enterprise Avenue Services.

As well as a range of indoor and outdoor play facilities, it also offers a city farm where families can interact with a range of animals including rabbits, ducks, goats and alpacas.

The award judges praised the playground’s far-reaching impact on the local community, highlighting its hands-on educational work encouraging children to learn about nature and the environment from an early age.

Paul Knight, Head of Avenue Services, said: “We were delighted simply to be nominated for this award, so to make the final shortlist and then be named as the overall winner is a fantastic achievement.

“I’d like to say a huge congratulations to our team and to all our dedicated volunteers at the Venny. It’s brilliant to see their work recognised and we’re incredibly proud of the impact the playground has had for Blacon for over 50 years.”

Avenue Services, which is a not-for-profit organisation, is a joint venture between Sanctuary and Cheshire West and Chester Council.