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Westminster’s New Playground Action Plan: A Place For Every Child To Play

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Westminster's Playground Action Plan: A Place to Play for Every Child

Play is a vital part of childhood. It helps children build confidence, stay active, develop social skills and explore the world around them. Just as importantly, it creates opportunities for families and communities to spend time togethe outdoors. 

That’s why Westminster City Council has launched a new Playground Action Plan, setting out how playgrounds across the borough will be improved, maintained and developed so they remain safe, welcoming and enjoyable for years to come.

A better future for Westminster’s Playgrounds

Westminster is home to 68 Playgrounds, forming part of a wider network of parks and outdoor spaces that support healthy, active lifestyles for children and families.

The new Action Plan outlines how these spaces will be enhanced through improved design, maintenance and long-term planning, helping ensure playgrounds continue to meet the needs of local communities across the city.

 

playground action plan document cover

Inclusive play for every child

At the heart of the plan is a commitment to inclusive design, ensuring playgrounds are accessible and enjoyable for children of all abilities and backgrounds.

Future improvements will prioritise inclusive equipment and thoughtful design so that more children can play together. By embedding inclusivity into new projects and upgrades, Westminster is creating play spaces where every child feels welcome and able to join in.

Supporting active childood

The Playground Action Plan is an important step towards a wider vision for play in Westminster. It will help shape future plans for play across the borough, ensuring children have more opportunities to be active, creative and connected to their communities.

Because here in Westminster, we believe that every child deserves to have a play, today and in the future.

Read the Full Plan

More Play, Less Traffic: It’s Time To Make More Streets In Westminster Active

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More Play, Less Traffic: Active Streets Returns to Westminster

Westminster’s Active Streets Programme is returning for another year, bringing more opportunities for residents and school to enjoy safer, traffic-reduced streets for play, activity and community connection.

This annual programme is designed to transform residential roads into welcoming spaces where children can play, neighbours can meet and communities can be more active together. By temporarily reducing traffic and opening streets for local use, Active Streets helps create healthier neighborhoods and encourages outdoor activity close to home.

boy playing on the street with a hulahoop

Less Traffic, More Play. Bring Activity Back To Your Street.

Residents and schools can once again get involved through a few routes:

  • Street Play: Temporary road closures that allow children and families to safely play in their street.
  • Play Streets: Streets where organised play sessions can take place at specific times.

Community volunteers know as Street Makers, help organise sessions and support their neighbourhoods in bringing these events to life.

With the programme returning this year, more Westminster streets will have the chance to become lively spaces where play, movement and community spirit take centre stage.

Bring Play To Your Street

WelcoME: Making Westminster Leisure Centres More Accessible

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WelcoMe: Making Westminster Leisure Centres More Accessible

ActiveWestminster is committed to making leisure and wellbeing services welcoming and accessible for everyone. As part of our wider accessibility offer, WelcoMe, is now available at all of our Westminster Leisure Centres, managed by Everyone Active.

WelcoMe is a simple digital service that allows visitors to share their access needs before they arrive, helping staff prepare and provide the right support. This can make visits smoother, more comfortable and more inclusive for disabled and neurodivergent residents

Supporting accessible and inclusive visits

WelcoMe helps remove barriers to visiting leisure centres by allowing visitors to share their access requirements in advance, thus allowing staff to prepare in advance and be ready to support visitors with accessibility needs on arrival.

The platform can help with things such as:

  • Mobility or step-free access support
  • Clear communication needs
  • Extra time or assistance on arrival
  • Creating a more comfortable and welcoming environment

List of all the Westminster Leisure Centres and Facilities with WelcoMe:

  • Academy Sport
  • Church Street Community Leisure Centre
  • Jubilee Community Leisure Centre
  • Little Venice Sports Centre
  • Marshall Street Leisure Centre & Spa
  • Moberly Sports Centre
  • Paddington Recreation Ground
  • Porchester Centre
  • Queen Mother Sports Centre
  • St Augustine’s Sports Centre

Getting Started with WelcoMe

Getting started with the service is quick and easy. 

  1. Create your WelcoMe profile: Visit my.welcome and set up your WelcoMe Key
  2. Share your access needs: Use your WelcoMe Key when planning a visit to a participating leisure centre
  3. Staff prepare for your visit: The team will receive a short briefing so they know how to support you
  4. Enjoy your visit: Arrive knowing the team is ready to welcome and assist you
Learn More and Sign Up

Help Shape LGBTQIA+ Health & Wellbeing In Our Boroughs

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Help Shape LGBTQIA+ Health & Wellbeing In Our Boroughs

 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ad Westminster City Council are proud to launch a new Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) focused on health, wellbeing and everyday experiences of LGBTQIA+ people across our two boroughs.
 
This important work will help build a clearer understanding of the lived experiences of LGTBQIA+ residents in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster ensuring future services, support and strategies are inclusive, informed and responsive to community need.

Listening to Lived Experiences 

The assessment will explore the key issues affecting LGTBQIA+ communities including:

  • Physical and mental health
  • Access to health and support services
  • Community safety and sense of belonging
  • Social connection and wellbeing
  • Barriers, inequalities and opportunities for improvement

By gathering meaningful insight directly from residents and service providers, we can better understand what is working well and where change is needed.

rainbow flag on the wind

Choose how to take part 

 
You can contribute by completing the online survey or taking part in a confidential interview, whichever feels right for you
  • Online Survey now live and will remain open until 29 March: This is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ residents who live, work or study in Kensington and Chelsea or Westminster to share experiences and help shape future health and wellbeing support across boroughs. Your insight will contribute to a stronger, evidence base, helping ensure services are inclusive, responsive and designed around real community needs.

         Taking part is quick, confidential and an important step towards meaningful, long term improvement.

  • Confidential one-to-one interviews for in-depth insights: If your prefer to speak more detail, SMST Research Angency who are commissioning the survey are also offering confidential one-to-one interviews as per of this assessment.  
         Interviews are open to LGBTQIA+ community members and representatives from statutory and non statutory support services  
         operating across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. 
 
         These conversations will explore lives experiences, across services, barriers and opportunities for improvement. All discussions will be               handled sensitively and in strict confidence. 
 
To find out more or express interest in taking part in the interviews, please contact the SMSR research team at info@smsr.co.uk.
         
Complete the Survey

Historic Clash Confirmed As Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule Lands

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Historic Clash Confirmed As Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule Lands

 
The stage is set. The full schedule for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has officially dropped and it’s bringing a historic home nations showdown with it.

England will face Scotland at Headingley on 20 June 2026, marking the first time the two sides have met in a men’s or women’s World Cup on English soil. It’s a fixture packed with rivalry, pride and big match energy and it’s already shaping up to be one of the standout moments of the tournament. 

12 teams, one trophy and a landmark summer to remember

Following a fiercely contested qualifier in Nepal, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland have secured the final four spots., completing the 12-team line up for next summer’s global spectacle across England and Wales (12 June – 5 July 2026)

European nations make up a third of this year’s competition which is a huge milestone for the growth of the women’s game.

image of some of the cricket players and full fixture

The Groups

  • Group 1: Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands
  • Group 2: West Indies, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland Scotland

World Class Venues and Unmissable Moments

Across 24 days, 33 matches will played iconic venues including Headingley, Old Trafford, Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston, Bristol County Ground and the Hampshire Bowl, culminating in the final at Lord’s on 5 July.

With elite international talent, fierce rivalries and record-breaking ambition driving the tournament, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 promises to be one of the defining sporting events of the summer.

Tickets on sale now

Tickets for all matches, including the historic England v Scotland are on sale now. With strong demand already building, fans are encouraged to secure seats early.

Lock Your Seats In Now!

A New Era Of Outdoor Sport, Fitness And Community Shine at Johnsons Place Launch

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A New Era For Outdoor Sport, Fitness And Community Spirit Shine At Johnsons Place Launch

A fantastic community celebration marked the official launch of the new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and outdoor gym at Johnsons Place on Monday 9th February.

Residents, partners, councillors and coaches from SportWestminster came together to mark the official opening of the upgraded outdoor sports facilities, designed to give residents of all ages more opportunities to get active in the heart of the community. The event really showcased the energy, enthusiasm and community spirit the the new space is set to inspire.

A great turn out from the community, and plenty of happy faces as children tried out the new facilities for the first time, some of our councillors got in on the action too!

Built for play, training and everyday fitness

The upgrade includes eight brand new pieces of outdoor gym equipment, new lighting, fencing, multi-use surfacing, goals, basketball hoops, and seating, delivered by the amazing team at Play Innovation, who have recently been shortlisted for a SAPCA (Sports and Play Construction Association), award for their groundbreaking work on this project. 

The investment in Johnsons Place forms part of Westminster’s wider commitment to improving access to outdoor sport and physical activity spaces. By enhancing local facilities, we are helping to remove barriers to participation and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles across the city.

Whether you’re organising a casual kick about with friends, trying out a new fitness routine or looking for somewhere for the kids to blow of some steam, Johnson’s Place is ready and waiting to become a vibrant hub for outdoor sport and community activity.