At the heart of the community for over 50 years, Oasisplay works to transform the lives of children and young people in one of the most deprived areas of Lambeth, London.
Welcoming c.1000 children and young people a year, we provide over 2000 hours of free, supervised inclusive environmental and adventure play, holiday playschemes, day trips, educational sessions, and youth leadership opportunities. Supporting children and young people from pre-school to 25, the variety of opportunities freely available at Oasis are unmatched locally.
The opportunities we provide are delivered across our four unique sites:
- Nature Garden – Nestled in a concrete jungle, our Nature Garden provides a safe natural space with woods, meadow, vegetable patches and ponds. Children who rarely go outside have the opportunity to dig, build, plant, grow, eat natural foods, and learn about bugs, slugs, birds and other local wildlife. Pre-school groups help parents play confidently with their children and support healthy eating; after-school groups provide a safe, fun space for primary age children to explore nature. It’s also the fantastic setting for our Community Lunches.
- Stockwell Adventure Playground – a 1.5-acre hub of our Community Play project, this is where we offer free, inclusive, open-access play sessions all year, plus volunteering activities, and community events. It’s a favourite of children in often difficult primary-secondary school transition, providing a safe, familiar, consistent space while going through so much change. We also use the site to host volunteering activities and community events.
- Bolton Crescent Adventure Playground – added to our portfolio in 2020 in response to a severe lack of out-of-school facilities for disabled children, our Bolton Crescent Adventure Playground has been specially designed for disabled children and young people with moderate to high needs. Currently welcoming about 100 young people a year who lack any other out-of-school opportunities, they play alongside peers, siblings and other service users in this fun, inclusive environment.
- Karting Track – We deliver our unique Right Track Project here, using the thrill of karting to divert away from destructive life choices and criminality. The rules of the track are simple and clear, working particularly well for young people who may struggle to follow rules in other environments. Learning to maintain the karts, they have opportunities to gain AQA accredited certificates; marshalling gives responsibility regulating each other’s driving while learning how to assess risks and communicate clearly; and in helping to deliver sessions to young members, they experience the value of role-modelling. We also support family and community wellbeing, hosting weekly food hubs, providing tailored family support, community lunches and imaginative accessible, events.
Fully inclusive, our disabled and non-disabled staff team reflects the children and communities we work with. Oasis is about belonging, learning about yourself and others, it’s about being known and knowing you have somewhere to turn when you need it.
