}

Poplar Scooter Park

A school in Merton has created what is believed to be the UK’s first ever scooter park for young children which will be enjoyed both by pupils and the local community. The new scooter park at Poplar Primary School has more than 200 metres of pathways where children can let off steam, keep fit and learn to scoot safely. Now the school has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise £20,000 for the next phase which includes installing a timber shelter, street furniture, road markings, signage and even a race track. The campaign has already won celebrity backing from triathlon stars the Brownlee brothers who have pledged £1,000. On Thursday 30 March the school’s 640 pupils took part in their own duathlon – scooting and running – to raise cash. The scooter park has so far cost £60,000, with the school raising £30,000 and the SUEZ Communities Trust, which supports community and environmental improvement projects through the Landfill Communities Fund, donating a further £30,000. The park will be used by the school between 10am and 3pm but will be open to the community at other times including weekends and during school holidays. www.spacehive.com/poplar-scoot

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