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Children’s theatre receives £50,000 grant for new play garden

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Theatre of dreams: the Polka Theatre is opening its doors to thousands more schoolchildren this year, and now has even more delights for them in its garden

Wimbledon, the spiritual home of British tennis, strawberries and cream, Pimm’s and Henman Hill, has donated £50,000 to the nearby Polka children’s theatre to instal special sensory play equipment in their garden.

The Wimbledon Foundation Garden at the theatre has been designed by The Space to Play, all funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, where the world’s finest tennis championships are staged each year.

The £50,000 grant also ensures that the Polka Theatre can maintain planting within the garden for the next three years, as well as funding 10 days of annual activities led by a Creative Learning Practitioner.

Love all: one of the pieces of play equipment installed in the Polka’s garden

Amanda Horton-Mastin, the head of the Wimbledon Foundation, said, “We’re delighted to see the newly completed additions to the Wimbledon Foundation Garden at Polka Theatre.

“The space is transformed and looks and feels amazing! We very much hope that the creative planting and calendar of new activities will bring long-lasting joy to many children and their families.

“Polka has a history of providing a magical, child-centred sanctuary in the heart of Wimbledon and we are very happy to be helping them bring this wonderful outdoor space to life!”

The play equipment has been designed and installed by The Space to Play and consists of a musical bench, an interactive den and two sensory panels. One of the latest additions also includes a Community Library Cupboard.

This play equipment is well suited for early years children, involving elements which support development in areas such as motor skills and problem solving. The installation will enhance Polka’s offering of free outdoor play spaces for children, providing a space that families can enjoy for years to come.

The Polka Theatre, on Wimbledon Broadway, a short tram ride from Croydon, is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s theatres in the country.

Re-opened in 2021 after a major renovation, Polka continues to present a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Polka also offers a full programme of creative learning activities for children aged up to 12, with more than 21,000 children taking part in the last year.

Polka enjoys flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Main Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90 depending on the show format.

Seat of learning: the Wimbledon Foundation Garden provides extra activities for children up to 12

Lynette Shanbury, the theatre’s executive director, said: “We are always looking for ways to improve our building and the service we provide to our community, and these improvements to the Wimbledon Foundation Garden will make Polka an even more fun place to be.

“It has been wonderful working again with specialist play designers The Space to Play, to create bespoke interactive equipment and seating, and we have already seen how much children and adults are enjoying using it. We are very grateful to the Wimbledon Foundation for their ongoing support of Polka’s work.”

Over the past year Polka has worked with 143 schools through creative learning projects and has distributed more than 6,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! scheme.

Polka is open six days per week, 50 weeks per year, step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.

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