Press Release 19-03-11
Greenwich Council is upsetting thousands of families as they vote to close their children’s animal park.
In a Borough where child poverty is well above average for London, Greenwich Council has withdrawn the funding form it’s own popular and highly valued Animal Care Centre in Maryon Wilson Park, Charlton, SE7.
The Centre, which has just one council employee, a stockman, offers a taste of the countryside to Inner London’s children, for free. It features sheep, goats, wild fowl, exotic ducks, geese, peacocks, ponies and deer. The animal enclosures also feature pigs, named Bangers and Mash, with smaller petting animals (rabbits, guinea pigs and newly hatched chickens) on show inside.
‘Visit London’, ‘English Nature’, Animal Days Out’ and family organisations list the Centre as a visitors’ attraction. It is on the route of the Capital Ring and the Green Chain walks. The Animal Care Centre, formally known as a children’s zoo, has a 70-year history after the Maryon Wilson Family, owners of the Charlton and Hampstead estates, gifted the park and deer to London in the 1920s. Over the years the local Council have developed it into an education and recreation resource, however, Greenwich Council are on course to close this unique children’s centre.
Maryon Wilson Animal Park is very popular with children and families, especially those who live in the local high-raise Council flats. The Centre provides close contact with animals for those who may not otherwise have such opportunities. The Centre runs ‘Animal Tour’ sessions for up to 50 visitors; on Wednesdays term time and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during school holidays. The Centre arranges private tours for schools, youth groups and other organizations and has specialist visitor facilities.
The Animal Park is an educational resource for local Primary schools, Nurseries and Early Years Centres. Two Special Schools also use the animal park where ‘Riding for the Disabled’ ponies are stabled. Unless alternative funding (£43,000 per year) is found, all of this will be lost if the Council closes the Centre as planned in April 2012.
Over 3,500 people have already joined a Facebook campaign and a petition asking the Council to fund the Centre beyond 2012 has attracted 4,000 signatures in a few weeks. Both figures are rising as more people hear about the plight of the animals and the loss to London’s children. Is this really the kind of cut the Government want Councils to make?