Rio Ferdinand puts out heartfelt appeal to save playground where he ‘learnt how to win and lose’

Plenty of the world's top footballers were shaped by the environment in which they grew up, and Rio Ferdinand is no exception.

Born in Camberwell, South London and raised in nearby Peckham, Ferdinand began his career in the capital with West Ham United and ended it there with QPR, with big-money moves to Leeds United and Manchester United in between. And the former England defender, who turns 38 later this year, is not the type to forget his roots. So when he heard the news that Southwark Council might be planning on shutting down the Leyton Square adventure playground, one of the cornerstones of his childhood, he wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing.

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'It would be wrong of me to let this place be closed without me using the leverage i now have to at least engage with the council to find a way to change the plans,' Ferdinand wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the playground from his childhood.

'Other than at home with my parents, this is where i learnt how to win and lose, how to share, how to be a friend, how to appreciate all people, how to think positive and believe there was a life that i was capable of aiming for that was out of that playground/estate. 'Kids' hopes and dreams are given a platform from these type of places...im one of the lucky ones (who worked his butt off)'.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKiMrT0geEy/?taken-by=rioferdy5 Ferdinand's younger brother Anton has also spoken in glowing terms of the playground, describing it as the place 'where it all started for me.' 'The council CAN'T shut this place down it is the communities heart beat and keeps the youth off the street!!!' he added. https://www.instagram.com/p/BKgu432gPYV/ Staff at the playground have reportedly been frozen out of discussions regarding its future, amid suggestions it will be closed to the public for part of each week if not entirely. “We ask the council what’s going to happen, but don’t hear anything back. This is the community’s facility and we want to be involved in discussions about what happens to it," staff member Michael Orey told Southwark News.

“We would like the council to tell us how much money is needed so that we can make sure Leyton Square stays open as long as possible. “Perhaps we could help take over the costs using our T&RA money, or consider setting up a trust and taking it off [the council’s] hands. We have tried to use our local councillors to communicate but we still hear nothing from them.”

Councillor Maisie Anderson has said Southwark Council is "exploring options for improving and securing the long-term future of Leyton Square, which we hope to begin talking to residents about shortly.”