A day to remember – Friday, July 18 is the day schoolchildren from Sacred Heart break up. The boys and girls in Year 6 have just had their last day at primary school, not a roller coaster ride these days. They are made to work harder than we parents had to in our day.

The children have well earned their summer holiday. It wasn’t, however, a great day to remember in Friary Park. The situation is that it has become a tradition for the kids leaving primary school to go to the park to have some great innocent kiddies fun, such as water fights using pistols and Nerf rifles. The adults love watching too.

But it wasn’t to be this year because some jobsworth either at Barnet Borough Council or at Friary Park decided to stop the fun by closing the toilets and turning off the water taps (an essential part of the refilling process for the fun lovers).

So I wonder what would be the justifiable reason given by the authorities? Let’s guess, shall we? Could it be that it is a waste of water? Hardly. Two hours of water pistols uses up hardly anything in the grand scheme of things, and if I’m not mistaken it has been raining quite a bit recently. Could it be that the park suddenly becomes a battlefield and disturbing the peace? Hardly. We’re talking about ten and 11-year-old children here playing with water (not stones) on the hottest day of the year. Toilets flooding? That smacks of park keepers looking for an excuse. I don’t believe any of the kids stick loo roll down the pan.

I think it’s really just being a spoilsport by someone who doesn’t like kids. Us parents are forever trying to encourage our children to play outdoors rather than be stuck in front of a computer.

This is supposed to be the day that would guarantee this. I only hope this was an error by a sad individual who will not be in a position to do this next year. Could you please investigate the matter and make sure it doesn’t happen again?

The people of Barnet will be watching.

Barry Levitt

Address supplied