A CAMPAIGN to raise £100,000 for a complete revamp of a children's playground in Old Coulsdon has been launched.
The Friends of Grange Park Play Area, a group of mums, dads and concerned locals, say the park is outdated and want to refurbish it with brand new equipment.
Coulsdon East Councillor Chris Wright, chairman of the group, said the park's play area is in "desperate need" of renovation.
"We want to make sure that the children in this area have an opportunity to go outside and enjoy themselves," he said.
"At the moment it's not that attractive to the youngsters, it's not dangerous but the swings, for example, have been there for nearly 20 years. If I was a kid I would think they're a bit old hat.
"The only way it can be done is to scrap the lot and start again, so that's what we've got to do."
The first phase of their fundraising involves carrying out a survey to find out what parents and children who use the park want – whether they think the park needs a revamp and what equipment they'd like to see installed.
The Friends are hoping to get around 500 residents to fill in the online questionnaire, the results of which they can take to charities and other groups offering grant money.
Pupils at three nearby schools; Coulsdon Church of England Primary, Oasis Academy Byron and Keston Primary, will also have the chance to enter a competition to design their own park
"We want to get local businesses and the community interested. It's a community effort as much as anything," said Cllr Wright.
"I'm quite excited because we've got a very good group of people working on it. A lot of young people have got involved.
"When we have the results of the survey, we then have to start making bids to various charities and organisations who can supply us with the grant money.
"As soon as we get it done, we'll be going hell for leather and doing everything to get the new equipment funded as soon as possible."
The survey can be completed at http://www.friendsofgrangepark.com/survey
