In mid-2024, the playground at Jesmond Drive, Aberdeen required a major upgrade to enhance its play offering and provide new, exciting experiences for visitors. We were delighted to win the chance to carry out this work, and deliver another project on behalf of families and children north of the border.
We first conducted a thorough site survey, before finalising a design which gave full consideration to every element of the brief, and which would comprehensively meet the vision of Aberdeen City Council. We were also acutely aware that the playground was located on a busy walking route nearby to the local high school, and so we chose to include a selection of some of our most robust equipment, which was sure to withstand the heavy usage the finished space would receive.
Aside from installing new items, the project involved the removal of several older pieces of equipment, which were past their prime. We also endeavoured to tackle underlying issues of waterlogging caused by the existing woodchip surface, by introducing new surfacing in the form of natural turf topped with safe, consistent grassmat through which the turf could grow, and seamlessly integrate with the surrounding grassland terrain.
But the most important element of the project was, of course, the infusion of new equipment, which would compel local families to return to Jesmond Drive again and again. Alongside durability, including against the elements such as snow and ice, it also needed to offer stimulation for younger children, whilst promising exciting physical pursuits for those of junior age and older, and delivering a wide array of classic play experiences, including rocking, spinning, balancing and climbing.
Play For All!
Our best-selling Daffodil multi-play unit is sure to prove popular with visitors aged 3 to 8, with its 11 play features including an inclined climbing ramp, leaf-shaped steps and a stainless steel-backed slide, and an outdoors-themed aesthetic which marries perfectly with the surroundings. A nearby Bee Springie provides the perfect thematic accompaniment, displaying a friendly, colourful HPL design, and bringing comfortable rocking fun with ergonomic upright rubber handles for excellent grip, as well as a rubber moulded seat with a backrest for a non-slip experience. Its open fronted design also enables easy access, adding inclusivity for children with many different accessibility requirements.
A variety of standalone items offer more varied experiences. A range of dynamic spinners bring exciting rotating adventures, with our Hula utilising a suspended hoop to test the balance of two children aged 3 to 14. Elsewhere, our Curlicue brings a different spin on the theme, with its angled spiral design incorporating the changing centre of gravity of a single user aged 5 and upwards, in order to propel them around. Meanwhile, our bright and colourful Emoji Discus features an open, accessible dish shape on a slight incline, allowing up to 3 children of all abilities to spin together, and its emoji-themed aesthetic is certain to bring new faces to the playground in more ways than one.
Balancing fun is another staple play experience which is very much catered for at Jesmond Drive, with younger children aged 2 to 6 able to enjoy a ride on our Seesaw Springie with its easy grip handles and secure footholds. Likewise, our Pivot Seesaw delivers a classic, perfectly balanced experience for slightly older children, by incorporating a simple pivot point in the centre of its double steel top bar, and a HPL seat at each end with a curved steel handle and moulded hand grip.
For those who seek a more high-octane experience, however, a number of additions bring fitness-focused adventures and airborne excitement to the new space. Our centrepiece Long Climb multi-play unit is ideal for challenging up to 12 older toddlers and juniors, with 6 stimulating play features including a hand-over-hand section, a climbing wall and fireman’s pole. Nearby, two pieces of metal trim trail equipment, in the form of our Chin Up Bar and Roll Over Bar, both invite a variety of testing physical manoeuvres, and perfectly complement the Long Climb to form a challenging assault course style area.
The space is finished with our 20-metre aerial Cableway, which delivers hours of high-altitude adventures for users as they zip forward and backward through the air on its suspended zipline, and is sure to prove a big attraction for younger visitors as well as teenagers – it even drew queues of children before it was officially opened!
Exceeding Expectations
Simon Wishart, Parks Area Supervisor for Aberdeen City Council, said: ‘Working with Sutcliffe Play on Jesmond Drive was an efficient, straightforward process that resulted in a fantastic new play space full of exciting equipment, which the local community already loves to visit.’
We’re proud that our work here has thoroughly refreshed this much-loved playground and brought a host of classic play experiences for local children of all ages, whilst advancing Sutcliffe Play Scotland’s mission to deliver fun in all corners of the country.
