Local Commercial Playground Equipment Company Plans Bulgarian Orphanage Make-Over

CONDITIONS for orphans in Bulgaria – a country soon to become a member of the European Union – are often diabolical.

One Wiltshire businessman was so horrified by what he discovered about these conditions that he is funding and organising the installation of an adventure outdoor playground at one of the orphanages as a way of bringing a little happiness into the children’s lives.

As Managing Director of Playforce, one of the company’s leading manufacturers of school playground equipment, Edward Webb is in an ideal position to make this dream come true.

And staff at Playforce – current holders of the Wiltshire Business of the Year title, Beacon Status and Federation of Small Business– are giving their full support. When Edward asked for a team to help him in his quest, he was overwhelmed with volunteers.

After months of planning and designing the perfect outdoor playground for the youngsters living in the Kustendil Orphanage – which is hidden in the mountains about an hour’s drive from Dupnitza - a team of six Playforce employees, including Edward, will leave for Bulgaria with an articulated lorry full of equipment in May.

 “I’m a lucky man because I come from a relatively privileged background,” said Edward. “I run a company that makes a profit - these children have nothing and I want to give something back.”

Edward has never been to Bulgaria or seen the poverty he will face during the trip. All his information comes from his uncle, Richard Church, who set up the Christian organisation, Reachout Bulgaria, with nurse, Jenny Lambert, to try to do something to help the country’s orphanages after experiencing them first hand.

By chance Richard was in Kustendil when the local council was discussing fitting a playground at their orphanage. With Edward and Playforce in mind he volunteered to take on the task through Reachout Bulgaria and the council accepted. When he heard, Edward was delighted and immediately started making plans.

“We know the children are aged between 12 and 16 and that some have severe disabilities so we have had to think hard about what equipment will satisfy and stretch all abilities,” he said. “There were also one or two considerations that we don’t have to deal with normally. We must provide shade as summer temperatures can reach 40 degrees and we have to create fencing strong enough to keep out the packs of wild dogs that roam near the orphanage.

“There is also a huge trench between the door of the orphanage and the playground area so we’re trying to design a piece of equipment as part of the playground that wheelchairs can use to cross the trench. But in all other ways it will be the same as the equipment we build in this country, which we know helps children develop socially, emotionally, imaginatively, co-operatively and physically at the same time as having fun.”