London Play created a temporary ‘urban beach’ in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The play team arranged for 24 tonnes of sand, shells and pebbles to be delivered to the riverside. Around 300 visitors came each day, equipped with buckets and spades, towels and beach mats. The Play Rangers ran sandcastle competitions and treasure hunts and various council teams joined in the fun.

The Orleans House Gallery team held art workshops, storytelling sessions were put on by the library service and tennis coaching sessions were also on offer. The local history museum put together a display of play through the ages in the borough and invited adults to add to it with postcards describing their play memories.

The beach was so successful that its initial two week run was extended until the end of the summer and users said they would like to see the beach returning annually.