About

What is New Ark?

We are a place you can visit. We provide childcare, educational opportunities and community involvement. Our facilities include a traditional Adventure Playground, an Eco Centre and a City Farm.

We are an independent charity – our main objective is to provide opportunities for outdoors adventurous play for children in and around Peterborough.

Our Management Committee which oversees the running of New Ark is made up of a group of committed local volunteers, who each bring unique skills and experience to benefit New Ark. We are actively seeking new trustees who have enthusiasm for New Ark – we especially need people with skills and experience in business and project management, HR, IT, finance, marketing and fundraising.

We also appreciate the dedication of the volunteers who support our fundraising activities, and help with a variety of essential tasks around the site – especially on our farm.

We employ professional play workers and childcare workers, and are registered with and inspected by Ofsted for our childcare and preschool services – our inspection reports can be found here – Ofsted | New Ark Play Association

We keep charges to our users as low as possible and try to ensure that lack of money does not prevent children from enjoying our facilities. We receive no local authority funding and need to supplement our income through applying for grants, and organising fund-raising events and appeals. We always need more help with fundraising!  We are members of: Playlink, International Play Association, Early Education, National Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services, Learning Through Landscapes.

Officially we are called Newark Play Association, but everybody knows us as New Ark!