In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a series of wooden structures sprouted up across Wester Hailes. Adventure Playgrounds, affectionately called the Venchies were built by the local community after concern that there was nowhere for children to play in the immediate area. Despite appearances, children were supervised by a team of playworkers who also arranged other activities. The Venchies were in many ways ahead of their time, as there is now great interest in play areas that provide unstructured play with a degree of challenge. Sadly the Venchies were short lived, becoming unsafe due to a lack of resources to maintain and supervise them, and they were all demolished by 1990.