Play & Activity May 2017

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Organisations back API after report into state of playgrounds

The Association of Play Industries’ report, ‘Nowhere to Play’, shows that £100 million could reverse the decline and get us back on track to increase the number of playgrounds available to children across the country.

Many leading figures in the world of children’s play and

activity have endorsed this report and its recommendations.

“Play is the first step children take towards physical literacy and an active lifestyle and therefore investing in play spaces and securing their future should be a priority in combating the negative health impacts of

a sedentary population,” said Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive, Fields in Trust.

“Parks and playgrounds are vulnerable to closure in these challenging times and it’s important that we revalue the enormous contribution they make to our communities. Fields in Trust welcomes this new research from the API and supports the call for increased investment that will positively impact the health and wellbeing of children and young people.”

Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said councils are committed to promoting healthy lifestyles among young people and recognise that access to playgrounds and sports facilities are an important part of that.

“They want to do everything they can keep our parks and playgrounds intact but are doing this in the face of unprecedented budget constraints,” he added.

“Given ongoing funding reductions, many councils continue to have to make difficult decisions about which services are scaled back or stopped altogether. Decisions like this are never taken lightly and councils are exploring new ways to fund and maintain these facilities. Many are also working with their communities to help maintain them, or through crowdfunding for new equipment

The British Association of Landscape Industries said it fully endorsed the “excellent” report and described the loss of playgrounds up and down the country as unforgivable.

The Register of Playground Inspectors International has seen first-hand the decline in play provision and the steady worsening of the condition of many play areas around the country.

It said that play is absolutely vital to children’s health and wellbeing and public provision of such facilities has an important role to play

“We should look at a different model where outdoor ‘play’ and exercise for all ages is somehow integrated so that a trip to the local playground involves the entire family, from children to grandparents,” said Wayne Grills, BALI’s Chief Executive.

The Federation of Sports and Play Associations also welcomed the report as “important and timely”.

It joined the API in calling on the government for a clear show of support for play and activity and the benefits it brings to children.

“A government investment of £100m now could turn the tide and ensure that children in all areas can access good quality areas in which to play,” said Jane Montgomery, FSPA’s managing director.

API Enquiry 61

in helping to ensure that children learn about risks in environments where the level of risk can be managed.

“The RPII welcomes this new research from the API and encourages the call for increased investment to help ensure the wellbeing of children and young people,” added Keith Dalton, Vice Chairman, Register of Play Inspectors International.

School specifies Jacksons Fencing solutions

Jacksons Fencing was commissioned to supply and install security fencing around two perimeters at Bickley Park School, a selective, independent preparatory day school for boys located in South East London.

The school site consists of a mix of listed buildings and newer contemporary facilities, all set in attractive grounds. The modern structures include a purpose-built nursery, with strong environmental credentials, and a new multipurpose astro pitch, to complement the existing sports facilities.

The eco nursery features modern, airy classrooms filled with natural daylight; an outdoor covered decking area and an additional natural outdoor environment to promote free-flow indoor/ outdoor learning.

Jacksons Anti Trap Bow Top fencing was installed around the nursery site perimeter to provide a visible layer of security that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye and sensitively fitted to lessen the impact on the area’s main occupants; very young children, as well as to complement the surrounding natural habitat.

Jacksons Anti Trap Bow Top fencing is designed to provide permanent protection for play areas. A key product design feature is the wider gap between each hoop above the top rail to prevent children getting their heads, necks or limbs stuck between pales. These qualities have enabled it to be RoSPA approved, with the design fully conforming to the play fence standards stipulated in BS EN 1176.

Jacksons EuroGuard Flatform welded mesh fences and gates were installed to protect the school’s new astroturf pitch. The main requirement here was for a durable and secure solution that would prevent unauthorised entry during out of school hours, as well as protect people, buildings and equipment outside of the perimeter from harm as a result of stray football balls, for example.

Cris Francis, Head of Commercial Sales at Jacksons Fencing, commented: “Our range of perimeter protection solutions are ideal for a wide variety of projects and can be modified to fit specific requirements.

“These two installations are a great example of how our fences and gates can be designed to meet bespoke safety and security requirements and regulations as well as match the aesthetic needs of the client.”

The fences and gates specified in Bickley Park School were powder coated in Green RAL 6005. From the quality of raw materials used, through the galvanising process to BS EN 1461, to powder coating to BS EN 13438 and construction to in excess of BS EN 1722 standards, every Jacksons product is designed to deliver best in class performance and lowest lifetime cost; culminating in the best value on the market.

Sutcliffe Play redevelops play area into community asset

Vale of Glamorgan Council approached Sutcliffe Play, a UK playground equipment designer and manufacturer, to fulfil a brief to update a dilapidated play area in need of refurbishment.

The brief included replacing an old Multi Use Games Area and incorporating new and exciting play equipment for children of all ages and abilities.

The design was required to be sustainable and encourage social interaction and physical development through a wide range of play features and activities.

The play area was designed in three distinct zones. The first area caters for juniors, with challenging play opportunities to meet the needs of children with more advanced motor skills.

The second area, for toddlers, includes brightly coloured equipment and floor games which help to develop young children’s basic motor skills.

The Toddlerzone Daffodil multi-play unit, Sutcliffe Play’s latest edition to its popular Toddlerzone Plus collection launched in 2016, has been designed to maximise activities with a minimal footprint. The

space under the deck creates multi-level play opportunities by incorporating a crawling tunnel and creates an additional play feature at ground level.

The Daffodil unit is designed to reflect natural play themes with a binocular rail for spying on wildlife, a circular finger maze, motifs, gently waving panels and a natural colour palette.

Boasting a unique design with a rubber dampening system which significantly reduces noise and vibration, Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs) from Sutcliffe

Play are ideal for neighbourhood and residential locations.

The MUGA offers endless flexibility and can accommodate most sporting activities including football, hockey, basketball, tennis, badminton and volleyball.

“Sutcliffe’s design for the play area met our objectives and exceeded our expectations of the brief, and delivered a total transformation to a dilapidated and forgotten play area into one which is vibrant, exciting and robust,” said Emma Hancock, Landscape Architect, Regeneration and Planning, Vale of Glamorgan Council.

“The range of equipment and aesthetic are perfect for this compact urban play area.”

Jackson Fencing Enquiry 63

Sutcliffe Play Enquiry

Play the world with the new Big City Plus range

The remodelled, refreshed and renewed Big City Plus range of stainless steel modular tower units has been revealed by Playdale.

This brand new range completely replaces the previous Big City range. With more modules than ever before these units are guaranteed to become playground favourites.

Dynamic, curved shaping throughout the range provides a totally new play experience.

There are 18 newly designed tower units to choose from, to suit all needs and budgets, including three fully inclusive units which have been developed and created in collaboration with The Bendrigg Trust; a local

organisation of experts who provide outdoor adventures for disabled & disadvantaged people.

Within the new Big City Plus range we have designed and developed three inclusive units with brand new features and systems that have never been seen before on Playdale equipment.

Each unit has a variety of access points, to cater for a wide range of abilities and also to ensure there are ample exit points when needed.

A plastic tube slide on each unit provides light/dark sensory stimulation and aids independence. The bump panels on all the ramp fl oors give an exciting sensory experience whether in a wheelchair or on foot. There are sensory

coloured polycarbonate panels along the side of the ramps, and the new tactile play panels stimulate touch, feel and sound sensory experiences.

Paul Mallinson, Playdale’s Technical and Operations Director, said: “Through the use of proven, high quality and durable materials combined with our latest design philosophies we have created a modern, stylish range with sleek, elegant lines.

“Packed with masses of play value these units provide some fantastic new activities at low and high level which children can enjoy in a safe yet exhilarating way along with all the added benefits of being manufactured from virtually maintenance free materials.”

Playdale Enquiry 68

Timberplay helps generate interest in historic estate

older children were also a key audience, so Timberplay created designs that featured many open ended products that ensured all junior visitors would find plenty to stimulate them within the play space – named ’Wonder Woods’.

Waterplay is a great multiappeal play element and Stoner embraced this with water channels and a playground pump.

A Wobble Dish, Platform house and a bespoke Deer version of the Swinging Horse are all ideal for toddlers. A hefty Climbing Structure and Climbing Forest provide challenging fun for older children and teenagers.

During this time there has been no formal play provision, until Timberplay were called in to create a play area that would increase interest in the site, particularly with families and those caring for children.

Timberplay worked with Stonor Park to select a range of equipment which would appeal to children over a wide age range.

Stonor were keen to attract toddlers to capture the interest

The play area is due to open properly to the public in March, when the house opens for Spring and William Stonor has high hopes: “We trialled the play area last October, when we opened it for a few weeks and the reviews were very encouraging.

“Several visitors mentioned the Wonder Woods in their Trip Advisor reviews. Our own three children are certainly enjoying this new addition to the landscape and we are very confident that it will

Playforce becomes an official partner of The Challenger Trust

Playforce, creators of outstanding outdoor spaces, have announced a new long term partnership with The Challenger Trust, which supports schools to help young people to fulfill their true potential. The Challenger Trust supports schools to help young people to fulfill their true potential.

It believes that a comprehensive programme of character

development will typically include a blend of outdoor education, role model presentations, pupil to pupil supervision, curriculum trips, cultural tours, sports fixtures, enterprise training, careers talks, music camps and personal development expeditions overseas.

Playforce was one of the first to offer a complete, consultative approach to developing tailored outdoor spaces for the education sector. By taking the time to meet each customer and understand their needs, they ensure that every project delivers the very best outcomes for a school, nursery or group of settings.

Playforce Enquiry 69

Ancestral Home of the Stonor Family for over eight centuries, Stonor Park has been open to the public since 1979.

READER ENQUIRY 71

Wicksteed Playgrounds builds bespoke castle

Wicksteed Playgrounds has brought the designs of local primary school children to life by creating an impressive and imaginative playpark at Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick, Scotland.

Reflecting the history of the area, a large bespoke timber castle-

inspired feature takes pride of place at the centre of the play area.

The custom-built castle is adorned with turrets, slides, climbing nets and monkey bars as well as a bridge over a moat and portcullis entrance to inspire the imagination of

all aspiring kings, queens and medieval soldiers!

Around the castle, Wicksteed has created colourful wetpour surface designs with tunnelled grass mounds, swings, roundabouts, balance boards and a trampoline to keep visitors thoroughly entertained.

The £300k play facility was developed as part of a £3.64m park regeneration project, funded by Scottish Borders Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It was important for the play area to be accessible to visitors with disabilities and so a wheelchair accessible sensory garden was created as well as the inclusion of a wheelchair-friendly roundabout and a basket swing.

The park features a range of different zones with play equipment suitable for a variety of age groups and abilities.

A timber fenced area features sensory sound and visual items as well as a central carved timber totem pole. As well as the diverse range of play equipment, Wicksteed has included plenty of seating areas to enable everyone to enjoy this vibrant place.

Wicksteed Enquiry 73

FSPA launches new brand

The Federation of Sports and Play Associations (FSPA) has unveiled a new brand.

The FSPA is the national trade umbrella body that leads and supports associations which cover businesses in the play industry, sporting goods trade and golf sector.

While keeping the same name, the new logo, website and animated film will strengthen links to their 13 associations representing 500 manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of sports and play equipment, clothing and apparel. The association include API, the Association of Play Industries.

FSPA Managing Director, Jane Montgomery, explains: “The rebrand marks an exciting new chapter for us and all our members. Across the UK, there are businesses in the sports and play sector doing great things. The industry is vital to the British economy and these businesses are at the heart of one of the most vibrant, innovative and creative industries we have.

“As the UK’s federation overseeing the sector, we promote and

support over 500 manufacturers and distributers of sports and play goods and represent a wide variety of businesses, from startups to the big-name brands. With almost 100 years as the industry experts, we want to ensure that we are the voice of the industry –your voice.”

Jane adds: “But we want to do more. As a new political and economic landscape unfolds post-Brexit, and with the forthcoming general election, we’ll be working tirelessly to improve support for the industry.

“We know that there’s a lot of work to do and we’re ready. Our ambition is to reach out to every UK sports and play business, because together we are stronger. Our new strategy will ensure that we support, promote, represent, collaborate and lobby on behalf of every one of our members.

“That’s why we’re launching our bold new brand. Inspired by the world of sports and play, it will give a bigger voice to our associations and members and underpin our commitment to them.”

FSPA

Feel ‘the power’ with Connor Sport Court

Connor Sport Court, owned by international flooring and interiors specialist Gerflor is the market leader in sports surfacing and has built systems for many elite associations including the NBA, NCAA, FIBA, USATF and USA Volleyball, together with supplying the recent 2016 Rio Olympic Games with their basketball courts.

Connor Sport Court specialise in both wood and synthetic surfaces and have appropriate solutions for every type of athletic venue, park or multi-use facility.

It provides products that are ideal for a myriad of sport uses in education colleges and universities, schools, sports and leisure centres, together with dance floor studios and fitness venues.

The safest outdoor court in the world PowerGame® from Connor Sport Court features the lowest skin abrasion of any outdoor court surface and is made of the highest quality materials and UV stabilisers to protect the specifiers investment and is a perfect fit for a host of performance sports including; badminton, tennis, basketball, netball and hockey.

The patented Double-Tier shock absorbing grid and Lateral Forgiveness reduces joint strain

and fatigue to help participants play longer and more safely than ever. Available in 16 stunning colour choices the performance of PowerGame® is also designed to deliver excellent ball bounce, a huge factor in both on-court response and enjoyment. After all, who wants to play a dull game?

A strong partnership with the charity Beyond Sport looks set to enable this commitment to flourish as Beyond Sport are focused on using sport for social change and connecting NGOs and community organisations with groups who can help them make a difference.

In London Connor Sports ® and Gerflor have worked with Beyond Sport and the Mayor’s Office to identify applicants for a ‘Court Award’. This meant seeking a community group who had a need for an updated space, but also who would require the programming and student engagement necessary to properly use the product.

The award went to the Phoenix Community Housing project which falls under the responsibility of Lewisham Council in inner London.

Gerflor Enquiry 77

Agripower expertise rings true school

After a competitive tender process via sports facility design consultants MUGA-UK LTD, Agripower was appointed as the main contractor for a manjor project at Notre Dame School in Surrey.

The scheme was to build a fullsize synthetic hockey pitch alongside four tennis courts, a sprint track with associated fencing and floodlighting.

Graham Longdin, Director of Agripower, commented:

“It was imperative that we completed the majority of the works without causing any disruption to the pupils and for the facilities to be ready for the new academic year. With careful planning we managed to achieve our goal.”

Agripower Enquiry 79

Replay takes new cork infill pitch in their stride

Newmarket Town FC has completed a £750,000 upgrade to install a new artificial pitch, one of the first full size pitches in the UK to have cork infill.

To protect and maximise the lifespan of their investment, Club Secretary Graham Edwards enlisted the help of synthetic specialists, Replay Maintenance.

Filling a pitch with cork is becoming more common throughout continental Europe as an alternative to rubber and carries a number of benefits; its 100% organic from a renewable source; it doesn’t absorb water helping to keep the surface free draining; it’s odourless and from an aesthetic point of view, it plays and looks like a natural football pitch.

Steven Spence, Operations Manager at Replay Maintenance

A Quick Brush for Moulton College

There are three full-sized artificial sports pitches as part of the facilities at Moulton College in Northamptonshire. In addition to providing these for the College they also offer bespoke training, conditioning and rehabilitation camps for sports teams.

The floodlit, third generation rubber crumb pitch, specifically designed for football and rugby, was the first of its kind to be developed in the county. There is also a water-based hockey pitch at the College’s Pitsford Centre, which has a carpet surface, among the many other sports pitches and courts available to professionals and the public alike.

It is important then to be able to maintain the surfaces in top condition and that comes under the watchful eye of Grounds Manager Andy Flower.

Visiting last year’s SALTEX, he took a good look at artificial surface brushes and arranged a demo with GKB Machines of their Quick Brush QB 200

and Topfinish. What he and his team were looking for was simplicity, while being able to brush the artifi cial surfaces quickly and easily.

Dirt between the fibres readily promotes algae growth and results in the knock-on effects of reduced drainage, hardening of the surface and of course a deterioration of the appearance. With surfaces sanctioned by the Football Association for tournament match play, there can be no effort spared in keeping the pitches in top condition.

“We chose the GKB Quick Brush and Topfi nish drag mat having considered powered units,” he says. “What we liked, in addition to the excellent job they made of cleaning and standing the carpet up, was the fact there are so few mechanical parts, plus there are stiffer brushes and low maintenance costs. Without the cost of a powered machine we also had money left over for other pieces of kit.”

He and his team were also impressed with how fast the Quick Brush works, saving time compared to powered brushes in what is a small maintenance window. They were equally impressed with being able to

clean quite wet surfaces without smearing, and the drag mat in the wet is very effective at working the rubber back into the surface.

GKB Machines Enquiry 81

commented: “The uprated REVIVE PRO machine and process gives us a whole host of additional benefits.

“These include more horsepower enabling us to fully de-compact a surface without the need for tines - thanks to the increased control and productivity at the brush-head. It also features an uprated turbine for increased vacuum capacity and dust/ detritus separation and of course the all-important cab to safeguard our Operative against noise and the elements.”

With approximately 35 hours of use per week, and that looking to increase next year, the maintenance is going to be vital to keep the surface safe and playing to its full potential.

Replay Maintenance Enquiry 80

LazyLawn is a breeze come rain or shine

A nursery in Preston is enjoying the benefits of its new playground all year round thanks to leading artificial grass provider, LazyLawn.

When Rainbow Tots needed a low maintenance alternative to natural turf that could be used in all weathers and seasons, LazyLawn came to the rescue.

A total of 22 square metres of Wonder Yarn 36 were used in the installation, which transformed what previously was an unusable woodland area into a play area perfect for the children.

LazyLawn Enquiry 82