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Rutland Water Visitors Centre, Leicestershire

Client: Anglian Water Services


Cost: £48,000


Date: 01/05/2016


Genre: Landscape, Community, Youth

Orchard adds challenge to a natural play space

Rutland Water is set in 4200 acres of open countryside and offers outdoor activities for all the family. Anglian Water Services wanted an exciting new play area to be located outside the Rutland Water visitor centre, which would blend into the natural wooded setting. The play area was to be a key attraction, fundamental in increasing foot traffic and visitor numbers to the site, giving families a reason to visit and an incentive to stay longer.

Sutcliffe Play was selected to design and install the new playground following an extensive design and build tender process.

The existing play area, which had become tired and worn, was removed and replaced with a variety of traditional and more adventurous play equipment from Sutcliffe Play’s Orchard range, designed to blend with the natural surroundings of Rutland Water. Safer eco bonded rubber shred surfacing replaced the old loose fill bark which was expensive to keep maintained.

Orchard is a range of environmentally friendly play equipment which encourages physical & imaginative play and social interaction. The wood-based units have been designed specifically to complement rural locations such as Rutland Water, making it the ideal choice for the new play area, which now includes a variety of play opportunities to suit all ages and abilities.

The final design comprised of low level play activities, suitable for younger children, including a four seater seesaw and Orchard Twin Peaks unit. The unit, which features two low platforms connected by a rope bridge, has wooden posts that create a mountainous feel with a number of ways to climb or descend for added play value.

More adventurous play equipment, suitable for older children completed the play area design, including the Orchard Timber Tangle, which requires balance, agility and full concentration to navigate quickly. Three single ropes create a small tightrope, with the bottom net that can become a social seating area.

“The new Kids play park at Sykes Lane has been a huge hit with our visitors with many commenting how nice it looks! The giant seesaw and the windpipes on the Orchard Twin Peaks are probably the most popular items in the park! Working with Sutcliffe has been a breeze and the quality of the kit faultless. Here’s to many happy hours of play at Rutland Water!”

William Kirstein, Park Manager, Rutland Water at Anglian Water Services Ltd

Playground Equipment:

Orchard Rex
The Orchard Rex is an interesting unit with net climb challenges to either side. Starting at the post rings makes it difficult to get across the net climbing wall to the next platform, it can be tricky even when using the wooden climbing wall, but well worth it for the slide down to the ground.

Orchard Twin Peaks
Orchard Twin Peaks features two low platforms connected by a rope bridge have wooden posts that create a mountainous feel.  Both platforms have a selection of ways to climb or descend. Music pipes are fitted to one of the platforms for added play value.

Orchard Four Seater Seesaw
Our 4 seater, wooden seesaw is a great addition to our popular wooden product range. This more traditional style seesaw is also an ideal, stand-alone item for any play area and a seesaw that 4, or more children, can have fun on at any one time.

 Orchard Timber Tangle
A timber tangle of inclined beams and ropes that requires balance, agility and full concentration to move across quickly. The three single ropes create a small tightrope section and the bottom net can become a social seating area to take a rest.

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