‘I thought it was a prank’: Walthamstow adventure playground saved after anonymous £28k donation

Walthamstow: A local adventure playground just got a lifeline! Thanks to a surprise £28,500 donation, Grow Wild can keep its doors open. This came just days before Christmas, which is pretty amazing.

Grow Wild, a place where little ones can enjoy nature play, was facing a tough time. They needed £45,000 to stay afloat in 2025. But now, with this generous gift, they have some breathing room for the next couple of years.

Chris Rowley, the manager, thought it was a joke when he first heard about the donation. He said it felt too good to be true. But it was real, and it was exactly what they needed!

Chris had been stressed about the funding situation, so waking up to this news was a huge relief. He even joked about taking a break from social media because it had been so overwhelming.

He has no clue who the donor is, but he respects their wish to stay anonymous. It seems like someone was really paying attention to their fundraising efforts.

Grow Wild has been around since 2011 and is one of the few natural play spaces for kids in Waltham Forest. They were struggling because several charity grants were ending soon.

They can’t apply for more funding from the London Marathon until their current grant runs out. Plus, they’re waiting to see if they’ll get support from the local council.

With maintenance costs alone hitting £25,000 a year, they had set a fundraising goal of £45,000. Initially, Chris was hesitant to ask the community for help, worried it might be seen negatively.

But the community really stepped up! They raised over £45,000 from around 300 donations. Chris plans to save some of this money for emergencies while they look for more funding.

The GoFundMe page will stay open until the end of January. Chris is super grateful to everyone who contributed, saying it makes them feel loved and supported.