Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground and nine other Peckham, Camberwell and Dulwich youth projects keep council grants to September 2027. See who gets what.
Twenty youth clubs, playgrounds and projects across Southwark will keep their council grants for another six months, to the end of September 2027.
Ten of them work in Peckham, Camberwell, Nunhead and Dulwich. They include Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground in East Dulwich and Bethwin Road Neighbourhood Playground in Camberwell.
The extension costs £281,370 and covers 1 April to 30 September 2027. Councillor David Watson, Executive Member for Community Safety and Engagement, signed it off on 28 October. The decision was published on 29 October and is subject to call-in by councillors. The record of decision lists no representations received.
Who gets what near you
The money comes from Southwark’s Positive Futures for Young People Fund. The council’s report lists every grant and the ward it serves. These are the ten in our area:
| Organisation | Six-month grant | Ward named in the report |
|---|---|---|
| Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground | £15,000 | Champion Hill |
| Millwall | £15,000 | Dulwich Wood |
| Skyways Charity | £15,000 | Peckham |
| Westminster House Youth Club | £15,000 | Nunhead and Queens Road |
| Bethwin Road Neighbourhood Playground | £15,000 | Camberwell Green |
| South London Gallery | £15,000 | St Giles |
| Sapphire CIC | £14,922 | Rye Lane |
| Fight for Change Foundation | £14,500 | St Giles, Rye Lane, Goose Green |
| Spring Community Hub | £12,585 | St Giles |
| The Empowerment People | £11,115 | Camberwell Green |
Together those ten grants come to £143,122, just over half of the borough’s total. The report names the Dulwich Wood grant only as “Millwall”.
The other ten go to projects in Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Walworth, Borough and Bankside. They include Surrey Docks Farm, Coin Street and the Salmon Centre. Mosaic, which runs LGBTQ+ youth provision, gets £13,750 to work across every ward.
Why only six months
The grants were first awarded in 2023 for two years, from April 2024. They were then extended by a year while Southwark took part in a government pilot.
In 2025 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport picked Southwark as one of 12 councils in its Local Youth Transformation Pilot. That pilot ended in August 2026.
The report says the pilot’s review found “a clear case for change” in how youth services are funded. It recommended:
- an area-based model, so projects in one part of the borough work together
- one quality framework applied to every funded project
- better protection and use of buildings used by young people
- a common way of collecting data
- service specifications based on need
- young people involved in designing and running services
The six months are a bridge. They keep the current projects open while the council designs a new funding round. A further report on that, with a timetable, is due “later this year”, the report says.
How many young people use them
In the latest reporting year, 4,956 young people took part in projects the fund pays for. The report says that figure is indicative, because the providers do not yet share one data system.
About 1,200 more used youth and play services the council runs itself. The report puts the two together at around 18% of Southwark’s young people.
In 2025, 495 young people gave their views in a council consultation on the fund. They asked most for safe spaces, sport, creative activities, mentoring, help with schoolwork and mental health support.
All but one provider have confirmed they will carry on. London Community Kitchen in South Bermondsey was still considering it. If it declines, the report says, its share will not be offered to anyone else.
What it means for you
- If your child uses one of these projects, nothing changes. The funding now runs to 30 September 2027.
- If you run a youth project that is not funded, there is no new money in this round. Watch for the new commissioning round the council says it will set out later this year; we will report it when the papers are published.
- Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground on Dog Kennel Hill, SE22 8AA, is free. Its own website says children aged 8 to 15 can go on their own, and under-8s with a parent or carer. Its pages give two different sets of opening hours, so check with the playground before you go.
- If you want to question the decision, contact your ward councillors. Only councillors can call in an executive member’s decision.
Sources
- Issue: Extension of Positive Futures for Young People Fund Grants, Southwark Council, decision published 29 October 2026.
- Report: Extension of Positive Futures for Young People Fund Grants, Director of Leisure, dated 20 October 2026.
- Record of decision, signed 28 October 2026.
- About Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground and its contact page.
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