ALL nine of Leicester’s adventure playgrounds are set to benefit from a share of a new £2 million support fund.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby announced the new fund in February 2026. It’s aimed at supporting the city’s play associations as they transition towards making the adventure playgrounds that they operate financially sustainable, without ongoing council funding.
The new £2 million fund will provide additional financial support over the next three years to help ensure play associations can continue to offer open access play to local children.
Following a process of bidding, all the play associations have been awarded the funding they requested. This will support ongoing costs such as staffing, as well as investment in the playgrounds themselves.
In total, almost £1.8 million has been award to the play associations, leaving a contingency of £200,000 to help ensure that the playgrounds themselves can operate even if a play association cannot financially continue.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “I have been very impressed by the progress the play associations have made to develop viable business plans and generate new funding.
“This new transitional fund will give those associations an extra three years to work towards becoming sustainable and self-funding, and I’m pleased that all nine play associations will benefit and receive the amounts requested.
“We are only able to offer this additional support thanks to the Government’s fairer redistribution of funding to areas like Leicester. It has allowed the play associations to put forward some innovative and creative plans for the city ‘s adventure playgrounds which I am confident will put them on good footing for a bright future.”