Playground for special needs children transformed

A NEW playground for children with special needs has opened in Wargrave.

Staff from Invesco in Henley helped to build the playground at Camp Mohawk, which has slides, tunnels, stepping stones and balance beams.

Fifty-four staff members from the company’s real estate team volunteered on one day and 36 from its UK distribution team in Henley helped on another.

Lisa Nell, head of marketing for real estate, said: “We were tasked with clearing out the area for the playground, which was covered in brambles and weeds. It was hard and sweaty work.

“It was a lot of manual labour. The team said none of them had slept so well as they did that night.”

The group was one of the largest to work at Camp Mohawk since the start of the covid pandemic. Some members of staff travelled from as far as Kent and Essex to help.

Ms Nell said: “We really look forward to the annual day out. We feel we can get together as a team and give back to the communities around our offices. We have lots of fun and do some good as well.

“Because we’re a big group Camp Mohawk has a lot of projects for us to work on. It’s nice to create that relationship.”

Alexander Millar, head of UK distribution based in Henley, said: “The team at Camp Mohawk do an amazing job and it was great to be able to help them with the construction of new playground facilities.

“There were definitely some stiff limbs afterwards but it was all worth it.”

The teams also put up new signs and replaced rotting wood in the frames of some flower beds.

Samantha Rosier, fundraising manager at Camp Mohawk, said: “Coming here gives all young people with special needs an opportunity to take part in social, educational and leisure activities they may ordinarily avoid or be unable to access.

“We are delighted with our new play area and it is already proving incredibly popular with our families.”