Hornimans Adventure Playground in west London is a joyous cauldron of noise and activity. At first glance it's chaos. But look more closely and you'll see a mentor helping with homework, a playworker giving a guitar lesson and another at the centre of a noisy game as the playground goat looks on.
It's a successful example of frontline playwork. Yet it mirrors many of the challenges facing playworkers today. The playground, run by a voluntary management committee, has to chase funding and prove it benefits children.
"It feels like our hands are tied more than ever before," says senior worker Lorna Stucki. At the same time staff feel few people really understand what happens there day to day. "My friends don't think I have a profession," laughs Stucki.
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