Interactive play area opens soon

Construction of an interactive children’s play area can’t come soon enough for the increasingly busy Communities Feeding Communities (CFC) in Roskill South.

Community relations manager Anne Overton says building the play area, funded by The Tindall Foundation, represents a milestone in creating a communityfocused centre that serves the Roskill South neighbourhood.

‘‘We’re creating a play area for children to use their imagination and be creative with their play while having their family or whanau interact with them. The idea is families can enjoy being at CFC together,’’ Overton says.

‘‘The timing of the installation couldn’t be better, as the number of meetings and services held at CFC is growing.

‘‘A little playhouse, one of the biggest design elements, is ready to go into the play area along with a mud kitchen, which is a bench with a working tap for children to make mud pies or have makebelieve tea parties.’’

At the rear of the large CFC site well back from the road, the play area has a large tree that will pro

vide shade in the summer and shelter year-round. Garden allotments and a picnic table are next to the play area to make it easy for parents to garden or have a cuppa, or for families to enjoy a picnic while their children play.

Children visiting CFC and from local kindergartens have had a say in finalising the design, which will be opened this week.

CFC is a partnership between Presbyterian Support Northern and Northern Presbytery (a re

gion of the Presbyterian Church) with the aim to increase food security for people living in the Mt Roskill, Auckland area.

It provides a limited number of emergency kai parcels but the team’s main focus is working with the local community to achieve food security. CFC has a community garden, allotments, a micro-food forest, a kai space for emergency food parcels and a pātaka kai (community food pantry).