Matta™ gives great grounding for adventurous play
Playground safety surfacing specialist Matta Products is
exhibiting its leading range of solid style fitted impact absorbing
flooring at PlayFair 2008 (stand 23) and teaming up with a leading
play equipment manufacturer to demonstrate that playgrounds can be
challenging for all ages.
Matta will be kitting out the Lappsett stand (stand A7) with its
Play Matta surface solution which thanks to its colourful design
and stringent safety testing can help transform any play area into
a fun and safe place to be.
The company is launching an awareness campaign on the benefits
of play and the need to engage children in better quality play in
support of a number of public health and social agendas.
Marketing Manager at Matta Ruth Phillips said:
“Getting children to play harder and longer is the
biggest challenge facing the industry today as it competes against
many indoor distractions such as the TV and computers. To meet that
challenge it is important that we consider different approaches to
playground design. The monkey-bar-and-swings format holds limited
interest for older children especially in today's climate, where
concerns over safety and budget can limit risk-taking
design.
“As equipment becomes more advanced and challenging,
impact absorbing safety surfacing becomes more important than ever.
Safety and Play Matta is designed to international safety standards
and protect a child from a fall of up to 2.9m thus significantly
reducing the risk associated with play. This means that playground
providers can be more imaginative when designing play
areas.”
Matta safety surfacing complies with all UK safety standards, is
guaranteed for 10 years and requires little to no ongoing
maintenance. Made from eco-friendly recycled materials, the tiles
have a unique interlocking design, contain flame retardants to
limit the spread of fire and are available in a range of
colours.
The Play Matta range is ideal for new playgrounds but can also
be fitted over existing hard, tarmac or hardcore based surfaces and
its modular design allows any damaged areas to be replaced with
ease providing a good-as-new, non-patched looking surface.
Another leading product in the Matta range is Safety Matta,
which is designed to blend in with the environment and fits
underneath grass whilst allowing it to grow through. The grass may
be mowed as usual providing a natural finish. The system can be
used to cover banks and uneven ground and provides year-round
reassurance of the impact absorbing conditions of the underlying
ground.
Both systems are always installed by an expert team and have
already been installed at over 8,000 sites across the UK, making it
one of the country’s leading brands of safety play
surfacing.
Ruth Phillips continues:
“The ideal playground challenges children and helps
improve co-ordination, agility, problem-solving skills, spatial
awareness, strength and social interaction. Most importantly it
should provide a safe environment for children to express
themselves and push the boundaries of play, and safety surfacing
has an integral role to play in that.
“Matta has worked closely over many years with
Lappset, and they are a market leader in adventurous play,
stretching the physical challenges of children and adults whilst
recognising that risk and learning has to be balanced with
safety.
“There are some excellent examples of playgrounds
achieving this ideal in the UK which should be viewed as blueprints
for all play providers. By continuing this trend and considering
how best to provide stimulating and beneficial environments for
children of all ages engaging in outdoor play, the UK can step up
to the challenge of developing a generation of healthier, happier
children.”
For further information please log onto www.matta-products.com