‘The swings are missing’: Children in Newcastle left with nowhere to play

Newcastle council has faced years of substantial drops in its funding. Photograph: Mark Pinder/The Guardian

It’s a warm day in July and Ginette is pushing her grandson on a swing next to the remains of a climbing frame, destroyed in an arson attack last October and still not replaced at the height of summer.

“This is so sad,” she says. “This used to be a beautiful park, now look at it.”