Meriden Park, Kent

Client: Lyminge Parish Council

Cost: £80,000

Date: December 2024

Genre: Inclusive, Community

Meriden Park, located in Etchinghill, Kent, is a compact neighbourhood play space which has always possessed great potential due to its prime location. Not only is it nestled at the very heart of the local community, it is also situated within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – but in recent times, it had fallen into disrepair. In late 2024, we were excited to take on the challenge of unlocking the space’s huge potential, and delivering a refreshed playground that the community could be proud of.

Planning For Play!

We began by conducting a thorough site survey, before developing a design which corresponded to every aspect of Lyminge Parish Council’s brief. Having previously discussed the park’s refurbishment with the community, the Council had found that inclusive, accessible equipment for visitors of every ability level was highly desired, and the new space also needed to offer a renewed focus on imaginative and educational play.

Additional requirements included an engaging naturalistic aesthetic, to reflect the space’s surroundings, as well as a number of specific items including swings, a climbing frame with a slide, and a ground level trampoline and roundabout which would both be suitable for wheelchair users. Presented with these essential elements, our team worked hard to incorporate all of them into our design.

The site demanded a great deal of preparation before we could begin installing our equipment. Prior to our involvement, it had been closed to the public, as the existing items had become unusable. After swiftly removing these, we also installed a new combi-gate, which could be opened far wider than the previous one, and would offer much more accessibility for those in wheelchairs or with buggies – quite literally broadening the new space’s appeal.

Meanwhile, colourful wet pour shapes, including leaves, a duck, a butterfly, bee and flower, as well as a 3D ladybird, were introduced, adorning the site’s new Playtop with Nike Grind wet pour surfacing. As well as meeting the specification of an aesthetically cohesive space, this surfacing also embeds an element of sustainability, as the Nike Grind is manufactured from recycled trainers.

Fun For All!

But the most vital element of any play project is, of course, the equipment, and we worked hard to introduce an exciting mix of thrilling, inclusive items which would enthrall young visitors of all abilities from across Etchinghill and beyond:

One of the centrepiece items, our Baby Mammoth unit, is a naturalistic wooden climbing frame with a metal slide (meeting one of the council’s key specifications). Its 6 play features promise fun for up to 10 users between 2 and 6 years old, and include low-level activity panels ideal for younger children (providing some of the desired imaginative and educational play elements), as well as steps and a rope bridge – both of which are sure to challenge more confident toddlers.

A ground level roundabout was another key requirement, and this is delivered with our Inclusive Seat and Skate Roundabout. With its inground, open design and non-slip features, it is able to accommodate a centrally positioned wheelchair, allowing children and carers to enjoy the spinning motion together, and its contrasting lime green colour edge also acts as a visual indicator for partially sighted users.

The focus on inclusivity continues with our Flower Springie, whose colourful HPL design corresponds with the space’s bright and vibrant aesthetic, and its floral theme matches the naturalistic surroundings. As well as bringing comfortable bouncing fun (with foot and heel rails to guide the feet into the best position), its open fronted design enables easy access for children with many different levels of mobility. In addition, its rubber moulded seat includes an integral pommel and non-slip backrest, solidifying the unit’s safety and security.

Exceeding Expectations

Other classic play experiences, including balancing, bouncing and crawling, are also well represented in the finished space. Our standalone Orchard Play Tunnel comes in the form of an intimate crawl-through metal tunnel supported by wooden posts, and provides some exciting undercover exploration for children of toddler age, whilst our Four-Way-Seesaw is specifically constructed to accommodate parents and carers as well as children of many ability levels, with its generous handles enabling a secure grip. Close by, an in-ground, fully wheelchair-accessible trampoline meets another of the client’s key requirement, and allows children with more limited mobility to enjoy the same bouncing fun as their peers.

Elsewhere, two colourful, engaging play panels offer more opportunities for imaginative and educational play (as desired in the brief), and provide some added inclusivity. Our spinning HPL Shape Shifter Flower panel displays six shapes which complement the wet pour floor graphics, creating the potential for a host of different games to stimulate children’s social, visual and cognitive development. Meanwhile, we’re delighted that Meriden Park is one of the very first sites to feature our brand-new Communications Panel, which is designed for children who may find difficulty in verbal expression. Using an NHS-approved system of non-verbal communication, the panel features a grid of play-related symbols and phrases, which children can use to convey messages to their peers or parents/carers.

Finally, no trip to the playground is complete without an exhilarating spell on the swings, and our Orchard Swing Frame, constructed from wooden beams, hosts two seats that are sure to inspire varied and memorable experiences. Our colourful, comfortable rubber Pod Seat safely hugs the child as they use their body weight to pull the seat through the air, whilst our classic, ergonomic Bumper Seat enables a more traditional swinging experience.

Martin Wallace, Area Sales Manager for Sutcliffe Play, said: ‘I’m delighted to see this project come to fruition after many weeks of hard work, delivering a vibrant new play space full of fun for children of all abilities to enjoy. I look forward to seeing local families discover all of the new surprises we’ve brought to Meriden Park, and I know that they’ll make many lasting memories here.’

At the outset of this project, Meriden Park was closed to the public, overgrown, and its equipment was unusable by the community; following our work, it is now unrecognisable from its former self. We’re proud to have delivered a fun, thrilling, colourful and cohesive space full of play value, which not only meets all of our client’s requirements, but is also sure to delight the community with many treasured memories in the years to come.

Playground Equipment:

Baby Mammoth

Baby Mammoth

Inclusive Skate Roundabout

Inclusive Skate Wheelchair Roundabout

Flower Springie

Flower Springie

Orchard Play Tunnel

Orchard Play Tunnel

Four Way Seesaw

Four Way Seesaw

Shape Shifter Flower

Shape Shifter Flower

Communications Panel

Communications Panel

1.8m Orchard Swing Frame

1.8m Two Seat Swing

Pod Seat

Pod Seat

Bumper Seat

Bumper Seat

Sutcliffe Play Ltd
Waggon Lane
Upton
Pontefract
WF9 1JS
United Kingdom

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Rope

Durable steel-cored rope is a hugely versatile material, which offers great utility as part of more challenging equipment, such as our climbing and balancing focused Mission and Neo ranges, whilst also being used to create the colour contrasting scramble nets found on a number of our inclusive-focused units.

The rope’s steel core offers great durability, allowing it to endure heavy sustained usage for long periods without requiring replacement. Not only does this minimise wastage, but at the point that replacement finally does become necessary, its environmental impact is mitigated by the fact that steel is one of the world’s most recyclable metals.

Prior to this, however, sustainability is also a key consideration for us during the initial stages of our equipment’s development. This is why we seek to deal with responsible suppliers at all times, and participate in a sustainable supply chain with environmental consideration at its heart.

Both of our wholesale suppliers of steel-cored rope hold all of the relevant credentials to operate in a modern, climate conscious marketplace, and both source their rope from a respected third-party enterprise which holds the ISO 14001. This internationally recognized standard demonstrates their commitment to minimizing their environmental impact, and continuously improving their performance in this area.

Our nets and ropes are covered by a 2-year warranty against non-structural failure due to faulty workmanship or materials.

Anti-Slip Surfacing

Many of our products, especially our multi-play units, are designed to enable fast, thrilling, kinetic play for all ages and abilities. This is why durable, hard-wearing anti-slip surfacing is another key material used in our factory, to deliver the safest, highest quality playing experience for children.

The two most commonly used materials in this regard are Hexastrong panels and WISA®-Multifloor panels. The former is found primarily on the walking decks and steps on many of our multi-play units, including in our MiniTown, Toddlerzone and Playzone ranges. With their hard-wearing nature and excellent strength to weight ratio, these panels are ideally suited for use on playground equipment, and as they are produced primarily from timber, they can be considered a renewable resource.

Durable WISA®-Multifloor panels are also utilised most prominently in our Toddlerzone and Playzone ranges. Constructed from birch veneers bonded together with weather-resistant glue and coated with an elastic overlay, they deliver a strong, safe surface on walking decks and steps, upon which children can play freely.

As with all materials involved in the manufacture of our products, we work hard to ensure we deal with responsible suppliers at every stage, and participate in a sustainable supply chain with environmental consideration at its heart:

Both of our Hexastrong suppliers are UK-based, reducing emissions from overseas freight, and the materials we source from both are FSC (Forest Stewardship Certification) approved, ensuring they are derived from well-managed forests and tracked throughout their manufacturing journey. Both suppliers also fully comply with the Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR), which requires them to conduct all necessary due diligence on their supply chains, to ensure the materials they use have been legally sourced and traded.

One of our suppliers also utilises a Carbon Calculator, to inform every customer of the overall carbon footprint of their order, taking in manufacture, delivery of the product to the supplier’s warehouse, and storage, all the way up to the moment it leaves the supplier’s premises. This information allows us to easily understand the carbon impact of the Hexastrong panels we purchase, and assess the results accordingly.

Our supplier of WISA®-Multifloor panels, meanwhile, is based like us in West Yorkshire, again reducing freight emissions, and as with our Hexastrong supplier, is FSC (Forest Stewardship Certification) approved and fully complies with the Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR).

Both our Hexastrong and Wisa®-Multifloor panels are covered by a 2-year warranty against material degradation.

Paint/Finishing

Although originating from our West Yorkshire factory, our equipment delivers fun across the country every day – and beneath the colourful surface, its fundamentals are high quality, durable, and sustainable.

When it comes to safeguarding our environment, however, we know the surface itself has a part to play, too. We utilise a range of different treatments and finishes, including galvanising, powder coating and zinc priming for mild steel, and anodising for aluminium. These processes provide the materials with the best chance of enduring heavy usage, whilst sealing the surface’s prime coating, and adding further durability through a UV stable colourfast finish.

The manner of application is also crucial with regards to sustainability. Our preferred method, electrostatic spraying, involves the use of a spray gun to powder coat the metal. This leads to an exceptionally even particle distribution when compared with traditional airless methods, which can result in significant overspray and insufficient coverage. The improved transfer then translates to reduced paint consumption, which in turn reduces waste, and saves on any cleaning agents required to remove excess.

Our UK-based supplier practices sustainable delivery methods, including utilising cardboard packaging in place of plastic, as well as biodegradable packing made from natural, nontoxic sources (such as wheat and corn starch) which can be used in compost piles after use.

Our paint, anodising and galvanising are all covered by a 10-year warranty against significant corrosion due to faulty materials or finishing.

Rubber

With its inherent flexibility and array of bright colours, rubber is ideal for use in play equipment.

In our case, it is the main material used in many of our swing seats, whose design and production originally helped to make Sutcliffe Play a leading name in the playground market.

Rubber is derived from the sap of the rubber tree, which, when farmed responsibly, can be tapped for latex production over a period of many years before requiring replacement. Not only does this make the rubber itself a sustainable resource, it is also a great benefit for the wider ecosystem, as rubber trees have a significant capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.

Likewise, natural rubber is also extremely biodegradable, giving it a major advantage over plastic (which can take decades or even centuries to decompose); the higher the percentage of pure latex rubber in the compound, the faster it breaks down upon disposal.

Our north-west based supplier is a leading enterprise that operates a Sustainable Procurement Policy, which seeks to monitor and manage the business’s environmental impact, whilst ensuring social, environmental and economic factors are fully considered by employees and suppliers.

Our rubber is covered by a 2-year warranty against material degradation.

Aluminium

Sustainability and durability run through our equipment quite literally from top to bottom, as the supporting uprights on our popular Toddlerzone, Playzone, Neo and Mission ranges are constructed from high-quality, responsibly sourced aluminium.

Three of our four main aluminium suppliers are based locally in West Yorkshire, reducing freight emissions, and all seek to work within a sustainable supply chain, with one certified to the Environmental 14001 standard, whilst another is beginning to roll out the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to replace diesel at all of their service centres, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions and nitrogen oxide.

Aluminium is not only a highly durable material, it is also the most recyclable metal in the world, and can be continually re-melted and refashioned into new products without losing its properties. This process also uses up to 95% less energy than the production of new aluminium from raw materials.

Its unique combination of versatile properties, including low weight, high strength, corrosion resistance and recyclability make it a perfect match for heavy usage playgrounds. Its hardened anodised finish is also maintenance free and requires no touch-up or finish during its life cycle, saving on wastage and the use of new top up materials.

Our aluminium is covered by a 25-year warranty against structural strength, and our anodising is covered by a 10-year warranty against significant corrosion due to faulty materials or finishing.

Mild Steel

Mild steel is another essential material which is a perfect fit for our durable product range, used to create the supporting components of our multi play units, as well as rotators such as our inclusive dish roundabouts.

As with stainless steel, our supplier is an established enterprise in the local West Yorkshire area. Their mild steel includes an average of 76% recycled content, and is created from raw materials sourced from UK and Belgian foundries which are BES6001 certified. As of April 2023, their activity was estimated to produce 1.39 tonnes of carbon emissions per tonne of steel, well below one of the major estimated industry averages (1.85 tonnes), and on par with another (1.40).

This high-quality material is painted using a sustainable electrostatic process, and gains added protection through a UV stable colourfast finish. It has been proven to withstand not only the rigours of daily usage but the harshest of outdoor environments, including those with high salinity – this is well-evidenced by the fact that there has never been a customer claim against its structural guarantee.

Our mild steel is covered by a 25-year warranty against structural strength.

Stainless Steel

Another material that helps us to offer the most robust equipment on the market is stainless steel, used in the manufacture of our chute, bedway and bannister slides.

Our supplier is local, based like us in West Yorkshire (reducing freight-based carbon emissions), and sources their stainless steel from an enterprise which is a leader in sustainability, whose steel output includes a recycled content of between 85% and 90% (against an industry average of 60%); this same enterprise has also reduced their direct per ton CO² by 25% over the last decade. In addition, the carbon footprint of their stainless steel has been found to be almost 40% smaller than it was in the 1990s.

The stainless steel in our products is maintenance free, easy clean, and suitable for all environments. It conforms to EN10088 specifications, and it is austenitic – making it stronger, more durable, and less electrically and thermally conductive than carbon steel, as well having a greater corrosion resistance. This durable, robust composition greatly extends the material’s lifespan, deferring waste creation (and steel is already the most recycled material used in manufacturing overall, so is far less likely to create waste at all).

Our stainless steel is covered by a 25-year warranty against structural strength.

HPL

HPL is a high-performance, external grade, self-supporting laminate utilised in versatile ways throughout our product range, such as the colourful panelling on many of our multi-play units.

The two key components in its creation are paper (technically called cellulose fibres) and thermosetting resin, with the former representing 60-70% of the finished material.

Our supplier is an Environmental Management Systems ISO 14001:2015 certified business, which holds both of the voluntary ‘Chain of Custody’ certifications according to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) schemes. These certifications guarantee that the final product is made of material from well-managed, FSC or PEFC-Certified forests, and other controlled sources.

No organic solvents, asbestos or heavy metals are used during HPL’s production cycle, and it doesn’t release any gases, vapours, solvents or fluids. Its processing waste can be handled in a manner equivalent to household waste at controlled landfills, and it is estimated that 80% of the waste generated by our supplier is recovered.

Once created, HPL’s standout durability (it is fire-retardant, scratch and shock resistant, and non-porous) ensures that it will resist a great deal of wear and tear, and endure for long periods before requiring replacement.

Our HPL panels are covered by a 10-year warranty against non-structural failure due to faulty workmanship or materials.

HDPE

HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) is an extremely versatile thermoplastic polymer used in the freestanding play panels which feature in many of our play spaces, as well as for various components across our product range.

Offering an excellent strength-to-density ratio, and a very high impact resistance and melting point, products utilising HDPE are sure to enjoy a very long life.

The HDPE we purchase is sustainably sourced, and includes an average of 76% recycled content. Our supplier has also recycled 99% of their waste material and off-cuts since the formation of their business, and offers HDPE recycling services to customers for products which are no longer required.

Unlike natural, porous materials such as wood (which can feature fissures or grooves that harbour moisture or bacteria) HDPE resists mould and rotting as well as most strong mineral acids and naturally occurring chemicals. HDPE is also easily recyclable, helping to keep non-biodegradable waste out of landfill.

Our freestanding play panels are also accompanied by a selection of sustainably sourced supporting posts, including recycled plastic, galvanised metal, and timber. As with HDPE, these enjoy a far longer lifespan due to their environmental resistance (with none of the rotting, cracking, or splitting that may come with traditional timber posts), and they also help to reduce non-biodegradable landfill waste.

Our HDPE is covered by a 10-year warranty against non-structural failure due to faulty workmanship or materials.

Glulam

Our Treetops multi-play equipment is well-known for its naturalistic aesthetic, with striking wooden support beams bringing an eye-catching look to the entire range.

These are constructed from Glued Laminated (Glulam) Larch, a structurally engineered wood comprised of layers of dimensioned lumber, bonded together with durable, moisture-resistant structural adhesives.

Our well-established supplier of Glulam is based very locally to our factory in West Yorkshire, reducing freight emissions – and as with all of our materials, Glulam’s great durability minimises waste and the need for replacement in the long term. Its design delivers greater dimensional stability than that of whole log sections, with no shakes, twisting or warping, and all Glulam beams within the Treetops range have an oblique cut top to prevent water ingress, as well as galvanized steel shoes to protect the base of each post from the elements.

As well as having no known negative environmental effects, repairability of Glulam is high, and once it reaches the end of its natural life, it can be repurposed as an excellent biofuel.

Our Glulam is covered by a 10-year warranty against structural strength.

Timber

Timber is an essential material in our work, used primarily in our naturalistic Orchard range – and we strive to ensure not only that it is sustainably sourced, but smartly applied to ensure maximum longevity.

Our FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified supplier handles slow grown pine logs derived from strictly controlled sources, either through government body approved felling licences or forest/woodland management plans. They also encourage the recycling of their products during manufacturing, with all wastage repurposed – including in a local biomass plant that produces electricity and heat.

The timber we purchase for use in our Orchard posts has been pressure treated against wet rot, dry rot and insect infestation, carried out after it has been cut and drilled (ensuring the coverage of all exposed timber). It has also been preservative pressure-treated with high-quality Tanalith 9000, which is proven at providing unrivalled protection.

A UK-sourced aluminium protective shoe maintains the timber above ground level, protecting the base of each post throughout its lifetime, and side ventilation holes allow the posts to breathe and stay dry. At the other end, a special rubber cap completely seals the post top, preventing moisture from entering the top grain.

Our Timber is covered by a 10-year warranty against structural strength.