LONDON PLAY

Registered charity 1104731 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

London Play wants every child in London to have quality, accessible and inclusive play opportunities. We campaign for more and better play spaces and support playwork in the capital. Our information and advice service, policy analyses and media comments help raise awareness of the right to play and of how important play is in the growth, development and well-being of children and young people.

Objects

TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN THE GREATER LONDON AREA BY DEVELOPING AND SUPPORTING THE PROVISION OF CHILDREN'S PLAY PRIMARILY BY:-1. IMPROVING THE QUALITY , DIVERSITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF PROVISION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAY IN LONDON;2. SECURING GREATER RECOGNITION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF LONDON 'S CHILDREN;3. PROMOTING CO-OPERATION AND CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN PLAY PROVIDERS AND PLAY SPECIALISTS IN LONDON, AND TO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF LOCAL CO-ORDINATION AND SUPPORT AGENCIES FOR PLAY IN EVERY LONDON BOROUGH.

Area of benefit: GREATER LONDON

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Disability · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Amateur Sport · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Hackney, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity generated a surplus of £7,107 for the year, with total income of £148,326 and expenditure of £141,219. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves stood at £37,593, which is close to the stated policy target of between £39,000 and £50,000.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

Of its last 5 annual returns with a recorded received date, 1 was received after the due date: year ending 31/03/2022 (received 13/02/2023, 13 days after the 31/01/2023 due date).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 04055882

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Trust for London — “We are very excited that Trust for London has agreed to fund our Communities United for Play project.” (source page)
• Garfield Weston Foundation — “The Garfield Weston Foundation has awarded us £40k in core funding over two years (25/26 and 26/27) .” (source page)
• The National Lottery Community Fund — “The National Lottery Communities Fund is supporting our APEX project, facilitating reciprocal visits between children and playworkers from s…” (source page)
• Mayor of London — “The Mayor’s Young London Inspired Fund is supporting our exciting Camp Build project, giving 11-15 year olds the chance to camp out and ‘bui…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• EZEYI, Ugonna Maureen — director, appointed 30/01/2026on trustee list
• ATKINS, Louise Elaine — director, appointed 30/01/2026on trustee list
• BESCHI, Carlo — director, appointed 05/12/2024on trustee list
• QUINN, Amy — director, appointed 14/06/2024on trustee list
• MARTINS, Sara — director, appointed 10/03/2023on trustee list
• DAVIDSON, Hal — director, appointed 04/12/2019not on trustee list
• NEEDHAM, Caroline Frances — director, appointed 07/12/2012on trustee list
• HALL, Nicholas William — director, appointed 07/09/2012on trustee list
• MANSFIELD, Melian Barbara — director, appointed 23/10/2003on trustee list
• CRANWELL, Keith Alfred — director, appointed 23/10/2003on trustee list

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (24/03/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• MELIAN BARBARA MANSFIELDchair · trustee of 2 other charities
• Amy Quinn
• Carlo Beschi
• Caroline Needham · trustee of 1 other charity
• Dr KEITH CRANWELL
• Ekta Gupta
• Harry Davidson
• Laura Crean
• Louise Atkins
• NICHOLAS HALL
• Sara Martins
• Ugonna Ezeyi

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout London

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE LONDON PLAYING FIELDS SOCIETY.

• THE LONDON PLAYING FIELDS SOCIETY income £1.8m
• HARINGEY PLAY ASSOCIATION income £218k
• LET'S PLAY PROJECT income £459k
• LONDON YOUTH THEATRE income £101k
• PARKS FOR PLAY income £285k
• LET US PLAY (WOLVERHAMPTON) income £302k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.