New North Kensington adventure playground sets the pace for Pathfinder!
Timberplay’s Natural Play has come to West London – and it seems that the children of Kensington, Chelsea and the surrounding areas are delighted. A Phase 1 £400,000 development in Little Wormwood Scrubs opened at the start of July 2009 and attracted a staggering 500 children on the opening day and since then has averaged around 150 children per day.
Paul Williamson, Head of Extended Services at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, who leads on the Play Pathfinder programme in Kensington and Chelsea, comments on why they were so excited by the Timberplay designs: -
“As Timberplay structures are constructed primarily from timber they suited the environment of Little Wormwood Scrubs exceptionally well. We also appreciated the way Timberplay embraced the existing landscape to create as many opportunities for natural play as possible. The nearby trees have been incorporated into the design to provide scope for climbing and exploring. Despite operating within the very short time frames Timberplay worked hard to deliver our bespoke playground in time for the Summer Holidays.
We are delighted with the finished playground, as are the children who are travelling from the surrounding area to make the most of the adventure playground.”
The project benefited from the input of the Children’s Forum, which brings together local children aged 5 - 13. The children have been involved in the consultation process from day one and have been instrumental in making the adventure p
layground designs suitable for all children, including those in wheelchairs or with disabilities. Certain key pieces of equipment, like the Pyramid Structure and the Inclined Climbing Panel have been adapted to make them more accessible, and the sensory and landscape elements of the finished playground will be enjoyable for all playground users.
This development is the first large adventure playground to be opened under the Pathfinder initiative, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are keen to use this project as a flagship for the wider community. Paul Williamson continued: -
“The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is committed to providing high quality accessible play for all children and young people. Play Pathfinder is helping us achieve this aim. The programme has focused on natural and adventure based play, which is so important in our densely populated city environment.”
Learn more about Timberplay visit: www.timberplay.com