Parks and Recreation Magazine
Issue 4 - July 2019
Guide to Designing Inclusive Playgrounds King George V Recreation Ground A brand new playground for the whole community to enjoy
Plus
Recent Installs Arena Multi-Sports New
SpinR
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Inclusive Roundabout
UniPlay
with new components
Exclusive
Product Offers
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Parks and Recreation Magazine
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Contents
Welcome At HAGS, we believe in going the extra mile to ensure that we provide the best for our customers in everything we do and our new factory will ensure that we continue our legacy of delivering high quality products at excellent value. Our new production facility based in Sosnowiec, Poland is now fully operational and employs over 200 skilled fabricators, carpenters and production operatives, working round the clock, producing market leading play, sports & fitness and park & urban furniture products.
Meet the team Designing for inclusion Staff Profiles Haughton Park, Scotland UniPlay
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We appreciate your continued confidence in us and your support.
Regards,
King George V Rec, Berkshire ARENA Multi-Sport Net Play
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The facility is approximately 27,000m2 and is a brownfield site that includes new roadways and parking. The site has a bespoke, carefully planned design and layout which will maximise operational efficiencies, speed and quality management as well as simplifying the flow of materials and finished products. The factory meets the ISO 9001 and 14001 standards which are internationally recognised certifications, giving our customers the satisfaction of knowing that they will not only get high quality products, but production is more environmentally efficient. The location itself is ideally positioned to support the demand of the international customer base. Investments in the new factory, from new paint lines to infrastructure, will also keep HAGS products competitive in an ever-changing market.
Association of Play Industries Member
All existing services continue to be seamlessly offered and all UK Manufactured ‘SMP’ products continue to be available from our North Yorkshire factory along with old or discontinued parts and spares from all legacy brands (RSS, Record & Playworld).
Mark Grace UK Managing Director
Meet the team
SpinR
2
Our factory is fully operational
Despite a challenging two years, with disruption and delays to a number of customer projects our new facility is performing above all our expectations and as a result of this change, we can now reduce our OTIF (on-time in full) manufacturing times to 6 weeks with further reductions planned over the coming year. It remains part of our communication strategy to maintain transparency and to keep customers and stakeholders fully apprised of the forthcoming benefits that this new facility will provide.
Inclusive Design Guide
Our Area Managers will be pleased to discuss your project to see how we can help and answer any questions you may have. Please use the details below to get in contact directly.
Mark Gornall
Tom Gamble
Simon Carson
Sarah Alexander
T
07836 271403
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07899 952047
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07836 767363
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07778 159519
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mgornall@hags.co.uk
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tgamble@hags.co.uk
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scarson@hags.co.uk
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salexander@hags.co.uk
Regional Sales Manager - North
Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire
Regional Sales Manager - South
Isle of Wight, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey, Kent
Ian Smith
Neil Prickett
Mel Blackham
David Walker
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07899 918057
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07598 790475
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07808 203502
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07739 299551
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ismith@hags.co.uk
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nprickett@hags.co.uk
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mblackham@hags.co.uk
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dwalker@hags.co.uk
Scotland
Mid Wales, West/East Midlands
South Wales, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire
Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset
Rebecca Scott
Jilly Saunders
Jon Grayston
Emma Treanor
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07885 594000
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07841 806424
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07836 767360
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07739 934449
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rscott@hags.co.uk
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jsaunders@hags.co.uk
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jong@hags.co.uk
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etreanor@hags.co.uk
North East, County Durham, Cumbria, North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Herfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk
London
Jonathon Spencer-Payne T
07736 637468
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jspayne@hags.co.uk
North Wales, Cheshire, Manchester, Lancashire, East/West/South Yorkshire
General enquiries: hags.co.uk I sales@hags.co.uk I 0845 260 1655
Inspiring all to play together
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Our Guide to designing inclusive playgrounds Stimulate creative thinking and exploration This inclusive play design guide has been created in collaboration with playground and child development experts as a resource to help create great outdoor play environments for children of all ages and abilities. Inspiring all to play together is at the heart of what we do, and inclusive play spaces should provide opportunities for everyone to play together. Inclusive playgrounds should be accessible, engage children of all ages and abilities and encourage them to interact with each other. Playing is one of the most important ways that children stay active, learn, make friends and socialise. Playing is fundamental to children’s development and wellbeing, and to a happy childhood. We believe that more inclusive play spaces allow children to connect with others in a positive way, relieve feelings of stresws, stimulate creative thinking and exploration, boost confidence and enable children to enjoy the pleasure and benefits of play.
Principles of Inclusive Playgrounds All children have a right to play and everyone should have access to a well-designed playground that meets their developmental needs. St im ul at e di ffe re nt se ns or y sy st em s • Auditory • Proprioceptive • Tactile • Vestibular • Visual
A r e a s fo r
c a lm n e s s
erience n who exp to • Childre d a rlo need sensory ove t place quie retreat to a tion paths • Orienta fe place provide a sa can enter ren ild ch e wher r play on thei and exit the own terms
ss In cl us ive ac ce s fo r al l ab il it ie surfacing • Appropriate • Wide routes ons from • Flush transiti another to ce fa ur one s tforms/steps • Transfer pla quipment to and from the e
Ever yo ne ca n pl
• Group similar item s with varying levels of challenge • Full range of equip ment with various play values a nd challenge levels • Equipment and f eatures are placed at varying he ights • The coolest play eq uipment is accessible and usab le by all
A su p p o rt
O p p o r tu n it ie s fo r d if fe r e n t s o c ia l in te ra c ti ons • Coope rative pla y • Solitary play • Onlook er play • Paralle l play • Associa te play
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Contact us to get a FREE copy of our inclusive guide
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Designing an Inclusive Playground Designing for inclusion requires a careful consideration of the overall design and elements within it. It should bring together play values and accessibility in creative ways. The below sections outline some elements to think about and assess when creating an inclusive play space. This isn’t a rulebook, you or the play space designer may choose to emphasise one aspect over another and create strategies of your own that will best suit the needs of the users.
Planning & Preperation
Layout
Get the community involved to understand their needs and create a play space that’s best suited for them. Ensure you select a site and location that is suitable for the play space required. Remember to keep stakeholders updated, get them involved in the launch and any events taking place at the play site.
Improve accessibility and inclusion through the placement of play equipment and other features on the play space and in the surrounding environment. Consider the purpose of perimeters and boundaries for the specific location before deciding what is required. Think about using plants to soften the look and feel of the play space, help define the zones, create shade and add play value.
Play value
Access
An inclusive play space is where children of all abilities can play with a rich range of physical, sensory, and social experiences. Include a mixture of the three play value categories to create an exciting and inclusive play space. Each type of play is crucial to a child’s development and enjoyment of the play space.
Provide people of all abilities inclusive access and the opportunity to move throughout the play space safely and independently by looking at elements such as surfacing, transfer platforms, width of routes and flush transitions. Surfacing should not only be accessible, it should also be appropriate for the design, location, play equipment and features of the play space.
Selecting equipment
Support features
It’s essential to plan and discuss the types of equipment and play features to include and where to place them. Similar items should be grouped together so that children of different abilities are participating in the same type of activity next to each other. The playground should feature a full range of challenges to cater for children of different abilities.
Providing supportive infrastructure and amenities is another element that makes your play space inclusive, safe and easy to use by everyone. This includes providing different types of seats for parents, carers and children of all abilities. Allowing children and adults who have a service or assistance animal to use the play space is also important. Think about having appropriate facilities, such as toilets, etc.
See the full guide @ www.hags.co.uk /en-gb/designing-inclusive-playgrounds
SpinR² Inclusive Roundabout A classic inclusive whirl with a unique twist
Everyone plays together! As its name suggests, SpinR² is a classic inclusive whirl with a unique twist. The new spinner encourages cooperation and socialisation as children work together to turn their world into a colourful blur. The SpinR² has many great play features and functions. The angled sides deliver a unique vestibular sensation and a physically active experience, inviting children to climb, spin, stand, sit, lay, hang and balance. A truly inclusive product designed for all abilities. Two recessed, outward-facing, inclusive seats at transfer height enable children of all abilities to sit back and enjoy the ride. The wide seats feature an inward pitch that supports children with poor trunk control and offers plenty of space for parents to sit with their children and join in the fun. Designed to be solid and durable. Grip-friendly handles let riders steady themselves and provide a sure handhold for the person running to start the spin. SpinR² is made from HDPE grip material making it slip-resistant, tough and durable.
Staff Profiles Tom
Anna
Name: Tom Goodall
Name: Ana Luisa Silva
Job Title: Designer
Job Title: Designer
Joined HAGS: May 2013
Joined HAGS: April 2017
My role (in 5 words): Designing magician and estimating wizard
My role (in 5 words): Designing exciting, amazing play experiences.
Favourite thing about your job: Finding solutions to difficult problems Outside the 9 to 5: Anything active, particularly badminton, cycling, running and swimming Best skill: The ability to visualise design concept and their technical challenges. What gets you out of bed in the morning: Learning new skills and finding new solutions to problems.
Favourite thing about your job: That in order to design something for children, I get to think like a child. Outside the 9 to 5: Big fan of travelling, learning about everything, coffee and brunch. Best skill: Themed play areas and surfacing designs. What gets you out of bed in the morning: No job is ever the same, and I’m especially motivated by the ones that satisfy my creative needs.
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King George V Rec, Berkshire Encourages inclusion for all abilities
“Amazing adventure opportunities” Winkfield Parish Council contracted HAGS to design a play area that offers a wide variety of challenges and play experiences involving physical and social development. Our high play value design has provided amazing adventure opportunities for a wide variety of ages and abilities with harmonic flows between the natural landscape and man-made play equipment. In addition, the layout allows children to develop from one challenge to the next. The first zone provides younger children with a variety of equipment such as the UniMini Nordon, Trampoline, Goro swings, Trail items and an inclusive Spinmee roundabout. For the older, more adventurous children, we provide a different zone containing the DNA climber, Vippy seesaw, Viper swing and the eye catching UniPlay Lycce, crafted with a metal tube slide making it the centre piece of this play area. We used different types of surfacing to outline these spaces, including Wetpour, Eco Mulch and the Grass Matting tiles provided by Winkfield Parish Council. Each of these flows effortlessly into the other, emulating the curve of space and pathway surrounding it. We have also provided plenty of seating for parent and carers, or just for the children to sit and socialise if they wish. As with of all our projects, we’ve ensured this playground encourages inclusion for all abilities. The play area provides play panels at a suitable level for wheelchair users, swing seats for carers and tactile panels for sensory development, along with our hugely popular Spinmee roundabout which provides wheelchair access.
“Our local community is delighted with their new play equipment. There is such a ‘buzz’ now with so many more children using the equipment. This area is adjacent to the school and parents are complaining that they cannot get the children to go home after school!” Annemarie Edwards Winkfield Parish Clerk
Haughton Park, Scotland
A striking backdrop of country scenery “Local children are delighted” HAGS were contracted to design and install a new £70,000 play area in Haughton Country Park, Aberdeenshire which was funded by their 2017/2018 capital programme. Haughton Park is one of four country parks in Aberdeenshire, 30 miles North West of Aberdeen and boasts a large open space with a striking backdrop of country scenery. Our high play value design has provided amazing adventure opportunities for a wide variety of ages and abilities with harmonic flows between the natural landscape and man-made play equipment. In addition, the layout allows children to develop from one challenge to the next. For the younger users (age 1-4) we provided the Springer Seesaw designed with a nature theme to excite young imaginations and encourage all children to jump on for a ride. Furthermore, the younger children also get to enjoy a springer, a variety of classic swings and rota rocker. For the older children, the Titan swing was chosen as it allows five players to spin at an exhilarating speed, providing hours of endless fun. In addition, we provided the Viper Swing, a Zipwire, a Net play structure along with a Uniplay unit crafted with a metal tube slide.
The opening event was a huge success and local children are delighted with their new play area.
“We recognised that the existing play park was a little bit tired so we dedicated our capital programme to identify types of equipment the community wanted. HAGS have been excellent, the whole process has been relatively smooth, from meeting initially, getting the proposals in right up to the installation. The actual onsite work only took a fortnight to complete.” Kenneth Regan Principal Landscape Services Officer
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Our flagship sports system
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ARENA MULTISPORT What is ARENA? ARENA is our expertly designed multi-use games area (MUGA) with a stadium like feel, providing people with an exciting and professional space where a number of games can be played, including football, basketball, hockey, tennis and volleyball. We have several standard ARENA configurations, however as our MUGA is a modular system, we can design it to suit your budget and recreational space. For peace of mind our ARENA’s are TUV certified to EN 15312 (Excluding ARENA Lite side panels) Go custom, go HAGS! • There are many ways to customise your multi-use games area: • A choice between ARENA or ARENA Lite • A range of standard colour options available • Various fence heights ranging from 1m to 4m • A selection of goal end s • A choice of target/skills panels • Curved or 90° corners • A variety of entrance gates (including special access gates)
ARENA MultiSport
ARENA is our flagship multi-sports system made from durable and high quality materials. These extremely versatile multi-use games areas can be adapted to fit your requirements. The diagram below shows the elements that you can customise in our ARENA to suit your needs.
Stadium-style arched goal section with 2m high panels to each side is our most popular goal combination
The double basketball practice hoop fixes to any 4m high post within a full court
90 degree corner post
3m high panels at the goal ends prevents most balls from escaping the court
The 2m height gate can be locked to secure the ARENA at night. The opening width is 1.2m to allow wheelchair access A mini goal adds more game options to your court or can be used alone
A stylish step down panel from 2m to 1m panel heights
A variety skills panels can be added. See page 19 for our selection
The one way basketball practice hoop can face either inside or outside the court
New special curved mesh panel links 4m high panel with goal section Panel heights from 1 to 4 metres can be selected to suit your criteria. A combination of different heights in one ARENA is also possible
Built-in Hub spectator seating
Rebound panels can be specified for areas where kids want to play hockey
The soft-closing 1m height gate is regularly requested
Reverse facing basketball practice hoop can be added to any ARENA ball court or goal section
Spectator seating options include the sin bin, lean back or Hub. Popular for those who want to participate from the side lines
Above 1m high, any combination of either bar or mesh panels can be specified. Please see page 19 for more details
Our curved corner panels remain a hallmark of ARENA, adding to the stadium-like styling
ARENA goal ends have an option of an escape route to help players grab the ball if it goes out of play
ARENA The brand leading the
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way in multi-use games areas
Why ARENA? Our MUGAs are user friendly and offer everyone of all ages and varying physical ability the opportunity to exercise and build up strength, stamina and coordination. The addition of seats, shelters and integrated safety features are just some of the reasons why our systems have proven to be so popular with users and an ideal solution for both schools and parks. Just a few of the benefits include: • Our panels have noise reduction properties • Different sporting activities can be played in a controlled environment • Suitable for all ages and abilities • Encourages team work • Helps to promote an active lifestyle • ARENA is TUV Certified to EN 15312 (excluding ARENA Lite side panels) • Easy to maintain • All parts are robust • Rapid installation • Available in a variety of colours
ARENA
L
i
t
e
The ARENA Lite range offers a more standardised version of the ARENA but with the same flexibility to fit your requirements. This strong and durable multi-use games area is made from robust materials with a minimalistic design. The diagram below shows the elements that you can customise in our ARENA Lite to suit your needs.
ARENA Lite goal section with basket. There are 6 options available for goal ends. See page 16 for more details Special cut ARENA Lite panels are available if needed 3m dropped down to 2m is a popular choice for ARENA Lite
Single and double width gates can be added. Both options can be lockable
Panel heights from 1 to 4m are available. You can mix and match to create an area to your specification
90 degree corner post ARENA panels can be mixed with ARENA Lite panels, which allows you to add skills panels to the system Top barrier to help block those shots that are off target
2m high panels
Chicane entrance, to help stop the ball escaping
ARENA Lite goal end without basketball hoop
Seating for spectators, so they can watch and cheer from the sideline 1m high side walls with handrail
3m high panels at the goal ends prevents most balls from escaping the court
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UniPlay The most customisable
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modular play system on the market
Fyri
Zippie
Assid
Ready, steady, climb! This modern climbing unit has a variety of difficulties and choices, plus it’s perfect for competitive play, racing each other to reach the top.
Fly between the two towers on the Zippie Zip Rail! The Zippie is exhilarating and fun for everyone but challenging to master.
Choose one of many climbing paths to reach the towers of UniPlay Assid! Once they make it to the towers, children can race down the double width slide with friends or glide down the arco.
As well as a set of Webby Climb, Fyri also has a set of Webby Relax at different heights for those who don’t fancy climbing all the way to the top, or climbers who want to unwind and socialise.
It provides thrill seekers with the experience of height, movement and the excitement of speed and risk. With two access points, children can choose to climb onto the towers through the climbing rails or the easy access low ramp.
Melax
Lavon
Agir
Melax is a fun and competitive multi-play unit with a variety of play functions for everyone.
The Lavon multi-play unit is packed with a variety of climbing options and play functions for children with different abilities.
All aboard the ship Agir! This themed UniPlay multi-play unit is the perfect setting for children to pretend play and choose their own adventure.
Children can go from tower to tower balancing via the very challenging Rope Walk, using their strength and coordination. Or via the Manet, which means having to traverse sideways to reach the next tower, providing a different way of movement.
There are four entryways to the towers, from the climbing rails, to the demanding wobble climb, giving explorers the opportunity of risk and challenge, excitement and different ways of moving.
Go from one tower to the other by traversing through the challenging and fun wobble bridge.
Climbers will find a huge challenge when tackling the wobble climb that flexes and twists, there are also other climbing elements at different challenge levels for everyone.
Our new range of inspiring net play products Need to add that ‘WOW’ product? At HAGS, we are adding selected net play products which complements our already incredible range. We want to ensure that we continue to provide fun, exciting and challenging products that are dependable, safe and attractive in any play area in the world. The latest additions include products ranging from the 19 meter Rolling Hills climbing frame, which provides a full workout with all the exciting twists and turns as you make your way through the circuit, to the dynamic themed Whale or Butterfly structures with rich and attractive nets offering various functions to play. Explore the exciting range of products now available that will no doubt be a complement to your playground.
Please get in touch to find out more.
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Our new Product Offers are here! Amazing prices, Delivered on time, Guaranteed.
New Brochure
• Amazing Prices, Up to 50% off • Delivered on time, Guaranteed • Many items available Express Delivery (10 days or less)
There are now more products than ever in our Product Offers. You can browse by category to find exactly what you’re looking for whether it be swings, slides, spinners, springers and seesaws and many more. Contact us today for your FREE copy on 0845 260 1655 or download the pdf at
Amazing Prices, Up to 50% off! Express Delivery available in 10 Days
Product Offers
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Play, Sports, Fitness and Furniture
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