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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Wandering through Clissold Park on Saturday, we saw that the playground (which was always fairly rubbish compared to Finsbury Park) that they were revamping through the winter is finally open. It looks excellent with more stuff for slightly bigger kids, a really big new slide and a huge sandpit. Provided the weather is good, one more place to add to things to do in the summer holidays.

 



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I took my son there few weeks ago. It's  a wonderful place. I was struck by how clean the playground was. Although it had been a hot weekend there was no litter whatsoever. Quite the opposite from our local playground in Finsbury Park which was in a really shocking state with used nappies tied up to the steps of the slide,baby wipes strewn all over place and snack wrappers dancing in the breeze. I guess Clissold has a better class of parent.
or maybe Hackney haven't cut their parks department to the bone and they still have people clearing up daily? Finsbury Park wasn't like that when I took the small ones over there a couple of years back. There was a marked decline pretty much as soon as the cuts started to bite.
Perhaps . But still no excuse for how some parents are constantly leaving their crap in Finsbury Park playground.
Tis true that many Haringey folk seem oblivious to the litter and rubbish and don't mind adding to it. A mere half mile or so shouldn't make such a difference but it does seem to.

Actually when I went to Clissold I made a concerted effort to see if people were chucking their rubbish on the floor and no one did. But I do see parents doing just that in Finsbury Park prety much every time I visit. When I speak to them about it more often than not I am met with vacant stare or smile but  the rubbish is not picked up, well not by them.


I was being sarcastic about the better class of parent but I do believe that cuts or no cuts there is massive problem with Haringey locals tossing their crap anywhere other than the bin. 

"Used nappies tied up to the steps of the slide"? Reminded me of an old joke by Alexei Sayle. It was something like: I went to the toilet last week; the Council still hasn't been round to flush it.

My own observation in Tottenham Hale's local parks matches Liz's description of "a marked decline pretty much as soon as the cuts started to bite". But as people started losing jobs, I wondered how far routine clean-up work by parks' staff had obscured underlying patterns of behaviour by at least a few parks users.

"Snack wrappers dancing in the breeze" might just possibly have been discarded by children and young people. Carelessly and thoughtlessly, sure. And sometimes a few steps away from litter bins. But "baby wipes strewn all over the place", and "used nappies tied up to the steps of the slide" are purposeful and deliberate actions by parents and carers. (Or perhaps older siblings?) And if not malicious, seem to indicate basic misunderstanding of both their own social responsibilities and the jobs of the parks' staff.

I write 'seem', not 'are', because it should be a genuine question not a statement. A lot of "education" about waste and recycling ranges between information and exhortation. Telling people - in waste management jargon - how they're supposed to "present their waste" to the agencies which collect and remove it. I think we could usefully watch, or even talk to them about why they do and don't behave as expected.

A part of what Liz called the "ethnography of dumping".

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

P.S. Tunbridge Wells, did you report the used nappies etc - either to Parks' Staff or to Haringey? When was this?

I spoke to Parks this morning and asked them if they know about this - if it's a single incident or not. If anyone else spots the same problem please report it urgently. A photo with your cameraphone would be helpful too.

I spoke directly with a rather flustred member of staff. who agreed with me that there are some preytty crappy parents/carers about.

 

Snack wrappers included Juice cartons,  baby food sachets, crisp packets, clingfililm, silverfoil, sandwich cartons, bottles, cans, sweet wrappers, fag packets, newspapers, magazines. lighters,  fast food containers, plastic bags, much of which was dancing in the breeze whilst the remainder just loitered in corners and around the bushes, perhaps danced out. No doubt some of which was discarded by children but surely not all.

 

We have a huge problem in Haringay with litter louts that is for sure. Perhaps a playground educator could be onsite. Not to fine these lazy idiots parents/carers but to educate them.

Or even better someone to photograph these good for nothing scumbags parents/carers and put Harringy bridge to good use with a naming and shaming campaign ;)

Revenue for the service will be funded by gulity litterers paying an extortionate fee to LBoH not to have their photo displayed.   This will probably generate a revenue far higher that  the £6  per day local advertisng makes.

 

Also having photos of litter louts all over the bridge will go along way in hilighting the multi ethnic makover of this bourough and of Green lanes far better than a few foreign "welcomes"?

 

see how I managed to get a rant about the bridge and its banners into a discussion about Clissold Park Playground!

 

 

 

Thanks, TW. Hopefully, as well as taking action, the "flustered member of staff" reported your complaint and the state of the playground up their management pyramid.

Litter in a children's playground - or strewn across a park - is disgusting. Shitty nappies tied to the steps of a slide is not only bizarre behaviour but a potential health risk.

When I rang this morning I spoke to the Assistant Director's PA and referred them to Harringay Online. But I'd ask everyone not to rely only on posting here. Please use Haringey website Report a Problem page. If something is urgent, phone the Council.

The playground (and skate park) are great but be warned, the indoors toiiets have been replaced by portaloos while the refurbishment is going on.  All due to re-open, along with Clissold House and the proper cafe, in the autumn.

It seems to me that the biggest difference is that Finsbury Park is a 'people's park' and we see the whole community using it!  There is a real class divide in Clissold Park and it's sad to hear that the very families who most need to make the most of the park say they don't like going there because 'they feel out of it'.  I do agree though that Finsbury Park is lovely but looks neglected by thecommunity. 

I'm surprised you say that. I used to go to Clissold Park a lot and it seemed that all kinds of people used it. There are various ethnic events and fairs; it's wonderful to see all the youngsters playing football, skateboarding, etc; the families having picnics; couples walking the dog and the teenagers doing the passado on Sunday afternoons :-) How can anyone feel out of that ?

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