When the late Lord Attlee died in October 1967, a national appeal was launched by the Lord Mayor of London, supported by the three main political parties to establish a Charitable Foundation to his memory.
It is appropriate that today, we have all come together in the heart of London's East End, which could be said to have been Lord Attlee 's power base, to inaugurate a project which is so obviously an expression of his own concern for young people, situated in an area with which he kept life-long contact through his involvement with Toynbee Hall, first as a resident, later as paid Secretary and finally as President. I am especially pleased to see here Arthur Bottomley, who is probably the last living member of Clement Attlee 's administration, and who is now the Chairman of Trustees of his Memorial Foundation. [end p1]
The Foundation has continued over the years to face a variety of social problems, looking for new ways forward, much in the spirit of Clement Attlee. This has led them into the field of drug abuse and other social evils which put our young people at risk.
So many have risen to the challenge of making it possible for the first time in Britain to develop an Adventure Playground designed from the outset to exclude no child, so that handicapped and non-handicapped children may play and develop side by side, in conjunction with Toynbee Hall's special Families Centre for the mentally handicapped.
As an act of faith, the Trustees of the Attlee Foundation committed their scant resources to the funding of this work, and still find themselves faced with the task of raising £100,000. I am pleased to be able to welcome to the Attlee Adventure Playground a number of those who have made it possible for the project to grow. [end p2]
First, the Chief Executive and representatives of the Borough of Tower Hamlets who have made available the land at peppercorn rent; representatives of the Variety Club, whose tireless work for the underprivileged is widely acknowledged; and others representing the Rayne Foundation and the Bernard Sunley Foundation, the Hilden Trust and the Spitalfields Project all of whom have offered their much needed support.
In an area such as Spitalfields, with its varied needs it is important that provision for children's creative play is a facility accessible to all. At this, the Attlee Adventure Playground, handicapped children will have a unique opportunity to extend themselves in the context of play.