London Play Design

Supporting children’s right to play.

London Play Design is dedicated to preserving London’s iconic adventure playgrounds and making outdoor play accessible to all young Londoners.

What is adventure play?

Adventure play was first developed in the 1940’s by a group of European landscape architects. At its heart, adventure play is unstructured, outdoor play that encourages children to take controlled risks. Today, adventure play takes place in adventure playgrounds – supervised, outdoor spaces that allow children to play freely. At adventure playgrounds, children can use tools to build play structures, start bonfires, grow plants, and care for animals under the watch of professional play workers.

How we work

We support children's right to play in four key ways:

  • We provide maintenance, design and technical support for projects benefiting children and young people; most of this is subsidised or free. Please get in touch to see how we can support you. 

  • We closely collaborate with charities, local authorities, HM probation service and corporations to provide labour, tools and materials for the upkeep and growth of community projects. 

  • We create fundraising campaigns and offer many other free services to charities, helping them secure the funds needed for their projects. 

  • We aim not only to physically maintain London’s Adventure Playgrounds but work closely with other support organisations to campaign for free, open access outdoor play. 

Meet the Team

  • Max Mueller

    FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR

    With qualifications in both playwork and engineering, Max set up London Play Design in 2017. He has 30 years’ experience of working with children on London’s staffed adventure playgrounds and has designed and built play equipment for 15 years. Max aims to combine sustainable materials, acceptable risk, durability and quirky looks in his designs. Outside of work, he’s a keen tennis player but, despite living near Wimbledon, has so far been overlooked for a wild card entry.

  • Deb Hermer

    DIRECTOR

    Deb has had a career in government and political communications with a side order of play. She pioneered the first play street in Islington, London and was a trustee of London Play for several years. She is passionate about adventure play and everything outdoors, from coast paths to swimming in seas, lakes and reservoirs.

  • Luis Espindola

    GENERAL MANAGER

    Luis is a man of many talents. He has a Level 3 qualification in Youth Work and over 10 years of experience as a playworker in England, Spain, and Brazil. He joined the team in 2018 as a carpenter and, with a degree in marketing and a postgraduate in business planning and management was the natural choice to run our Business. Outside of work, Luis confesses to having (too) many hobbies, including circus skills, climbing, spray painting and sculpture.

  • Jackie Sindall

    FUNDING & PARTNERSHIP MANAGER

    Jackie joined London Play Design in 2023 to identify new funding opportunities as well as help secure meaningful and aligned partnerships to ensure children across London can continue benefitting from outdoor adventure play. She brings with her nearly two decades of experience across four continents, ranging from redevelopment work in Southern Thailand after the Indian Ocean Tsunami, to securing major gifts for international development organisations and UK national charities. When Jackie isn’t wearing her London Play Design hat, she’s in her workshop restoring and upcycling pre-loved furniture for her clients.

  • Antonio Pascoa

    OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

    Antonio is in charge of our logistics and supplies. A regular at London’s grassroots music venues for decades, he has recently started volunteering at festivals and promoting events. As for his film work, fighting dragons and demons, conspiring alongside villains or teaming up with royals are just a few of his duties when working as a background artist. Climbs trees to predict the weather and determine which past season’s fashion to wear, but still struggling with the imperial system of units after a quarter of a century in London. And loves tacos

  • Jerome Jarett

    PROJECT MANAGER

    Working with London Play and LPD for over 10 years, Jerome is a qualified landscape designer. A fierce defender of children’s right to play, he describes his aim as ‘bringing balance to the beams’ and to continue making play structures that children give their stamp of approval to.

  • Bernadette Borgonos

    PARTNERSHIPS & MARKETING CONSULTANT

    Bernadette has a Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management. She worked in hospitality, managed her own business, and did outsourcing. Now she’s London Play Design’s digital marketing service provider. Bernadette believes every child deserves the right to play, as it creates childhood memories and promotes well-being. She loves poetry, travel, dance, and singing. Bernadette is a loving and protective mother to Calista.