MP backs school campaign to improve local playgrounds for disabled children.

Last Friday, MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, Julia Lopez, visited the Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School in Upminster to hear more and support their campaign to improve local playgrounds for disabled children.

Inspired by a recent report by BBC Newsround, pupils at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School have been highlighting the lack of facilities at Upminster Park playground for disabled children. The park has only one piece of equipment for disabled users which is currently broken and can not be used.

Julia, who has long campaigned to improve outdoor spaces for local people in Hornchurch and Upminster, paid a visit to class 8L who had identified a number of safety and access problems for those with accessibility needs. Pupils presented their findings to Julia in a Power Point presentation and a rap, with the local MP agreeing to raise their concerns and findings with Havering Council.

Commenting after the visit, Julia said:

“I’m very grateful for Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School for inviting me to hear more about their brilliant campaign to improve playgrounds for disabled children locally. It was a pleasure to attend and speak to pupils more about their campaign, as well as talk to them about my role and work as their MP.

“This is a great example of how young campaigners can come together and start making a positive difference to their area, raising the profile of an important issue. I’m keen to support their campaign where I can and will be raising their findings with Havering Council. Improving outdoor spaces and local amenities here in Havering is a big campaign of mine too, and so I’m delighted to be working with pupils on this.”

The school’s campaign complements Julia’s own campaign to promote access to green spaces in Hornchurch and Upminster. Julia has supported the Thames Chase Community Forest with its range of adaptive bikes available for hire for those with additional needs and wheelchair users. Mrs Lopez also invited the then Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, to open the Forest’s new Changing Places facility, providing facilities and bathrooms for those with accessibility requirements.

Since May 2023, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where Julia is a Minister, has delivered funding for the following projects:

• £700k for new solar panels at Harold Hill Central Park Leisure Centre (in addition to an earlier £141k the leisure centre received back in November 2023).
• £390k to improve tennis courts locally, including in Upminster Park and a full refurbishment of the courts in Harold Wood Park.
• Approx. £29k via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Fund, to support new facilities at Harold Hill FC, Upminster Park Rovers Junior FC, Elite Colts FC and Tigers Junior FC.

Julia is also a big champion of education locally and took time to chat to the pupils about her work as the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch and Upminster, as well as her work as a Minister in DCMS and DSIT

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