The Addy, The Old Quarry Adventure Playground: ‘I run a playground on a council estate that’s so rare people travel from Scotland to play’

Despite the decimation of youth services across the region, The Old Quarry Playground aka The Addy has stood the test of time.

A £150,000 development is now set to transform The Addy.

“There's nowhere like it, people come from all over,” said Patrick Meleady, the National Play Champion.

Originally The Addy was opened by a group of local parents to give the children of ex-miners a safe place to play. Kids had naturally been playing on the grounds of the former quarry, but now they had a safe play area.

“It’s a hidden gem, it’s a safe haven,” said manager Holly Corbett.

The Addy is based on the Warwick Estate in Knottingley, an area built in the 1960s to house miners and their families who worked at Kellingley Pit.

People moved to the area from all over the UK to work; it was once a thriving estate until the pits closed.

Pit closures

The closure of the coal mines during the 1970s-80s decimated working-class communities, including Warwick Estate and other areas throughout Yorkshire.

Then in 1998, Sure Start children's centres breathed new life into impoverished communities such as Knottingley.

Until they, too, began to close in 2010 as a result of austerity and budget cuts.

Many rural areas suffered, including many within the Wakefield district.

In the district alone, 23 children's centres in local communities were condensed into six family hubs. This included Sycamores children centre in Knottingley which closed down.

Fortunately The Addy has stood the test of time.

25 years ago the independently run playground opened their own purpose built community centre, a one-stop community hub.

The adventure playground is free and subsidised for local people, with a charge for those coming from outside the area enabling this option.

MP Yvette Cooper opened the building when it first opened, and now fast forward 25 years Yvette returned to open the refurbished centre.

The Home Secretary said: "The Addy is an incredible place that has been supporting children and families in Knottingley for generations. It’s a brilliant place for children to really play and learn in exciting ways.”

The Addy was awarded a grant of £150K from the Government's Youth Investment Fund Refurbishment Grant Scheme.

This funding enabled them to install a heating system, build a new fit- for-purpose kitchen, as well as enabling them to upgrade their lighting system, and to refit their dilapidated toilets and install external doors.

Yvette added: “Investing in The Addy is investing in the community and is redressing regional inequalities. The Addy in accessing this grant funding and now as a beneficiary, has been able to future proof its provision, which in turn has extended the service’s capacity, resources, and infrastructure for this current generation and for future generations to come.”