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Two mothers are set to launch an online crowdfunding initiative in a bid to renovate an "unsafe" playground they say has been neglected for a decade.

Nicola Calabresé, 48, of Nightingale Lane, and Louise Cutler, 41, of Wigram Road, are aiming to raise a minimum of £16,000 to turn the playground on Christ Church Green in High Street, Wanstead, into a safe place for children.

They are set to launch an online fundraising appeal online for two new play areas early next year.

Crowdfunding is an increasingly common method of securing investment in a business or project and usually involves contributors receiving a benefit from the organisers, depending on the amount pledged.

This aspect of the appeal is yet to be finalised.

Mrs Calabresé described the facility as “shabby” and said it is not fit for purpose.

She said: “The equipment is very sad and tired. There’s a dip in the ground next to the roundabout so there are huge puddles when it rains.

“The fences around the sides of the playground are coming apart and my son even managed to get out."

People who spoke to the Guardian on Friday who use the park regularly said the park was "not safe", there were "trip hazards" and the "equipment was dangerous".

Mrs Calabresé said she is disappointed with the lack of council funding for the playground in the 10 years she has lived in the area.

She hopes that a cash injection will make the park as “amazing” as Valentines Park in Ilford.

“It’s a shame that the council is spending more money in Ilford,” she said.

The mothers have announced the plans after a Christmas tree for George Green, Wanstead, was successfully crowdfunded after being cut from the council’s budget last month.

For more on this story, see this week’s Guardian – out Thursday