Ward Members Cllr Drew Mellor and Cllr Karen Rampton, Borough of Poole staff along with members of the community and children from the local area at the official opening in October
Poole Projects celebrated the official launch of its new natural play feature ‘The Castle’ at Talbot View with residents coming together for coffee, cake and a ribbon cutting last month.
Following a public consultation and requests for natural play features to be installed in the area, Winston Avenue was chosen as the ideal site to minimise disturbance to nearby residents and ecological areas, whilst blending into the local landscape.
This new play facility, which uses carefully treated natural and sustainable materials such as sawn logs and carved stone, aims to provide a fun experience for children aged between one and nine years, whilst developing agility, balance and coordination. By incorporating an old castle theme with features such as a drawbridge, castle hall and thrones, it also encourages imaginative play to build both language and social skills.
Cllr Drew Mellor, Ward Member for Branksome East, said of the opening: “We are delighted to see our local community benefiting from investment in the area, and particularly our local children. It has been fantastic to see this sustainable facility so well used and I’m thankful to all our residents for engaging so positively with the consultation exercises we ran.”
Cllr John Rampton, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Consumer Protection, Borough of Poole, added: “We know that our open spaces are greatly valued by the people who live nearby, so it’s great to see residents engaging with the new play area which I’m sure will continue to prove very popular. In addition, we are really pleased that natural materials like felled wood are given a second lease of life in developing children’s imaginations and providing hours of fun.”
Annual inspections will be carried out on site by an independent organisation to ensure the continued safety of its users, as well as preparing a safety audit to assist the council in creating a long term maintenance plan for future upkeep
