Following a £1m grant awarded from The Heritage Lottery Fund, and as part of an extensive redevelopment of the whole park, East Lothian Council appointed Jupiter Play to carry out the consultation, design and installation of the new play area in the Lodge Grounds, North Berwick. Jupiter Play was successful in winning the work following a presentation to the project’s working group on their consultation techniques. A total budget of £85,000 was allocated to the removal of the existing equipment and the consultation, design, supply, installation and surfacing of the new play area.
The existing play provision in Lodge Grounds was split into 2 areas. The main play area, with a limited selection of run down play equipment, and a separate site over 100m away with a vandalised and unsafe wheelchair swing and roundabout. This separation of play equipment causes exactly that- separation! For a play area to be truly inclusive children of all abilities should be able to enjoy the play experience together.
North Berwick Special Needs Playgroup often visited the Lodge Grounds play area for days out and were keen to see the use of inclusive play equipment in the new design that children of all abilities could play on together.
In addition to the equipment being run down there was little, if any, provision for younger children who through consultation, were shown to be the most frequent visitors to the park.
A major consideration when planning this project was that the Lodge Grounds in North Berwick is a historical, aesthetically stunning park. Any new play area would have to be sympathetic to the rural setting and blend well with the existing park.
Jupiter Play & Leisure were contacted initially in April 2007, together with several other Playground companies, to present to the project’s working group on their consultation skills and experience in providing unique play experiences. The working group consisted of members of East Lothian Council, a Landscape Architect, members of North Berwick Community Council and representatives from North Berwick Special Needs Playgroup. The various members had differing expectations and requirements and as part of the solution Jupiter Play had to manage these varying needs.
On the strength of Jupiter Play’s consultation experience and proposed approach to the Lodge Grounds project they were awarded the contract and work began on the 4 week consultation program in May 2007.
Central to the consultation period was the presence of a Jupiter Play consultant in a vacant High Street shop in North Berwick. This allowed members of the community to drop in and discuss the project in detail. Images of play equipment and other Jupiter play areas in East Lothian helped the locals to see the potential for the new play area and they were also able to complete questionnaires to highlight their likes and dislikes.
In order to engage as many children as possible of all ages, Jupiter Play visited the local Nursery, Primary and High Schools to compile an equipment ‘wish list’.
A dedicated website www.lodgegrounds.com was set up to allow community members to view the project at every stage, complete online questionnaires and send any comments direct to the Jupiter Play design team for consideration in the design.
Using all the feedback from the park users, Jupiter Play drew up the first draft of the design which was presented to the working group along with the data obtained from the consultation. Once any suggested changes had been made the final design was presented to the working group in the form of a 3D ‘kid’s eye’ walk-through video, allowing for visualisation of the play area in situ. This video was also uploaded on to the website for community viewing.
In the latter stages of the project the local school children were involved in a ‘design a sign’ competition with over 150 entries from which a winning design was chosen as the new signage for the play area. The Lodge Grounds Play Area is now known locally as ‘The Honey Pot’ thanks to Martha Kemp of P5C.
The play area was designed to be an accessible, challenging and stimulating experience with a diverse range of play activities to suit children of all abilities from toddler to age 14.
By utilising the natural topography of the site the play area sits well in the rural surroundings of the Lodge Grounds. The use of Inclusive Play items such as the Exosphere and Revolve Inclusive Roundabout, which children of all abilities can enjoy, ensures that the play experience is accessible to all.
Getting the children of North Berwick involved in the project from the very beginning has ensured that the play area is well used and respected and a valued addition to the community.
Jenny Templeman,
Marketing Manager
jtempleman@jupiterplay.co.uk 0131 445 7989
