Sutcliffe Play has created an exciting play area at a challenging and unique site within an old cemetery using a challenging unit from the Mission play equipment range.
Grange Road Play Area in Gillingham, Kent, is situated in the old municipal Grange Road Cemetery which is now closed, having seen its last burial in 1940. The site was granted faculties for the creation of small play areas in 1977 and 1994, one of which was on a concrete ‘raft’.
Recently, playground company Sutcliffe Play was challenged with installing exciting new equipment on the site as the old equipment had been tired and dated.
Sutcliffe Play installed a wide range of equipment including an oyster roundabout, nest swing, toddler swings, parrot springie, spring seesaw, Toddlerzone unit as well as the Mission unit.
Mission is designed to offer challenging physical play opportunities to help keep children fit and active. The fully modular system includes ropes, nets, platforms and springboards to encourage climbing, traversing and descending in unique ways for high energy invigorating play.
Clare Lanes, Medway Council Greenspaces Development Officer, said: “The colourful new play equipment has been very well received by children from the area. It features both inclusive equipment alongside more challenging elements, and we have seen children of all ages and abilities playing together.
“The Mission unit in particular has had a great response, and has encouraged children to play actively and challenge themselves.”
The installation was particularly challenging due to the nature of the concrete surface. Sutcliff Play made the equipment to suit the site in relation to the depth of the concrete pad beneath. Plated footings were attached to extended posts and secured to the pad using chemical fixing bolts.
Existing materials on-site were re-used and incorporated into the base where possible to minimise the environmental impact of waste from the site.
