A little boy’s busted lip has been taken up as the first case being dealt with by a new advice service on the Isle of Dogs.

%image(14924180, type="article-full", alt="Yaseer and his mum Juveriah in the Quarterdeck children's playpark in West Ferry Road where he had his accident. Picture: Mike Brooke")

Yaseer Binte-Islam took a tumble when he came off a swing at the Quarterdeck children’s playpark on Millwall’s Barkantine estate.

He ended up at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel—but is on the road to recovery after doctors managed to seal up the hole in his lip.

His mum Juveriah was first in the queue when the new service was opened in Pepper Street on Saturday by the Isle of Dogs’ 1Love community organisation.

“My son was playing on a swing that was too high for smaller children and fell off and hit the ground,” she told the East London Advertiser.

%image(14924181, type="article-full", alt="Advice volunteer Natasha Bolter takes up case of Yaseer Binte-Islam's playground accident. Picture: Mike Brooke")

“I want to safeguard other kids so they don’t have the same accident. The housing association should consider smaller children playing in the park—the swings are not suitable.”

One Housing which runs the Barkantine estate was later looking into the incident. A notice on the park gate warns the swings are for 11 to 16-year-olds, with nothing for younger children.

It has apologised to Juveriah for “the distress this has caused” and confirmed it is now investigating the incident after being contacted by the Advertiser.

The new drop-in advice service that Juveriah popped into with her son was the idea of schoolteacher Natasha Bolter who had run as an independent candidate in May’s Tower Hamlets council elections, meeting residents with problems on the doorstep on her campaign trail.

%image(14924182, type="article-full", alt="Lawyer Dennis Fisher... "We�ll take on cases for people getting nowhere with the authorities, to get things done."� Picture: Mike Brooke")

Natasha told the paper: “I met many people whose concerns were not being looked into. So I put the idea for an advice centre to 1Love in one of their community spaces so people can just drop in.

“Local councillors work hard, but you can only meet them in their weekly surgery times, which is hard for most people who go to work.”

Her first case was little Yaseer’s playpark accident which has now been taken up with the housing group.

Trained lawyer Dennis Fisher, a 1Love director, said: “We’re not careerist councillors pushing any political agenda. We’ll take on cases for people who are getting nowhere with the authorities, to get things done.”

Advisors also help with job searches as well as legal cases and lobbying. The service is “a conduit with connections to get the right expert help”.