#Product Trends
Destination play area with two themes in Weybridge, Surrey
A design incorporating the natural surroundings and offering physical and imaginative play opportunities
Located in a leafy part of Weybridge, the play area is cherished by the local community and heavily used all year round. As Churchfields Recreation Ground is a highly rated space which needed to be ready before the school holidays, the stakes were high for the council’s team.
Weybridge residents wanted first and foremost a playground “with a great atmosphere” and a design mindful of the natural setting. More picnic tables and seating options were thus added to create a social area where parents and carers can congregate and supervise the children easily. The existing trees were carefully protected during the installation.
Local parents also requested loads of different activities encouraging physical activity and imagination. Children queuing to play on a piece of equipment are a common sight at Churchfields Recreation Ground, so each unit needed to offer high play value and cater for a wide range of users. Several play zones catering for different ages groups were created. The toddler area boasts a playful nautical theme to spark the imagination of small children, whilst a large, bespoke multi-play unit with jungle-inspired graphics provides older children with a variety of play options.
Elmbridge Borough Council’s Green Spaces Development Officer Laura Richardson comments on the UniMini and UniPlay units: “ Both structures make the most of the space and include role play activities and games at ground level, contrary to some competitors’ products where the ground floor is an unused, dead space. This is one of the reasons why HAGS design scored highly in the evaluation.”
The new site generated the excitement expected and even the Mayor of Elmbridge had her share of fun. “What a phenomenal playground! My favourite item is the Tango seat, I don’t think I have seen anything like this before. It is so lovely for parents and children to enjoy the park together.”
