Children i.play themselves fit!
Children in West Wiltshire have no excuse not to be fit and
active with three i.play units to choose from! Two units have
already been installed in Seymour Recreation Ground in Trowbridge
and Bearfield Recreation Ground in Bradford on Avon with a third to
be installed in Westbury in the coming weeks.
Funded by The Big Lottery Fund, the i.play units have been
purchased by West Wiltshire District Council to try and encourage
children and young people to play actively therefore improving
fitness levels and reducing childhood obesity. Recent figures
published by the National Child Measurement Programme show that
nearly a quarter (22.9%) of 4 or 5 year olds in England are deemed
either obese or overweight, with the figure rising to 31.6% by the
time they are aged 10 to 11. Figures like these are worrying and
statutory organisations across the country are now considering
providing state of art play equipment in order to encourage
children outdoors away from the television or video games.
The i.play units were chosen by the children in the area when a
public consultation took place at the West Wiltshire Show. Hundreds
of children picked i.play as the most popular piece of equipment
that they would like to see in their play area. West Wiltshire
District Council granted their wish by providing three units across
the region, and the two installed so far have been a great
hit. Samuel Hughes, 10, from Trowbridge said
“It’s a lot of fun. More children should have one
to play on”. Amanda Brooks, 15, added: “It
has already been used a lot. It has got people playing
together, it’s nice to see lots of people playing with
it.”
Councillor Richard Wiltshire, West Wiltshire District
Council’s portfolio holder for Leisure said: “As a
local authority we are committed to providing services for
everybody, including our children. This is something that is both
educational and fun that will provide years of entertainment and
pleasure.”
“The i.play really is at the cutting edge of playground
technology, which is always something that gets children
interested.” Plans to run a summer opening event to encourage
children to get active is already underway.
David Whiteside, Area Manager for Playdale who design and
manufacture the i.play unit commented, “It was great to be
able to work with such a forward looking council who were keen to
embrace such a new concept in fitness through play. Their
faith in us and i.play is really gratifying”.
For more information about i.play why not request a brochure
today, call 015395 39770 or visit www.intelligentplay.co.uk