Challenge

Hinchingbrooke Country Park covers 150 acres of open grasslands, mature woodland and lakes. It is a great place to visit for families, nature spotters, dog walkers.

Since 2018, Hinchingbrooke Country Park has held the Green Flag Award, recognising and rewarding the best parks and green spaces internationally, and has a wealth of wildlife.

In the summer of 2021, eibe play was invited to tender for the installation of four separate play zones around the park, designed to encourage visitors to discover other areas, and represent elements of the nature found within the park.

Project detail

After conducting an initial in-depth consultation with the park's teams, eibe play understood what was required from the play points the Park Mangers wanted to have installed. When designing any play space, eibe play strives to offer a variety of play value for children of all ages and abilities and, wherever possible, allow good access for children in wheelchairs and prams.

Toddlers and juniors

The first play zone designed for the park is a sensory zone for toddlers to early juniors and those in wheelchairs. A curved, hardstanding path leads throughout it, and nature-themed play panels and climbing insects are on either side. The play panels can be used by all abilities and provide a fun play point that offers puzzle-solving and discovery.

Alongside these sit musical elements such as musical chimes and a rain wheel, to add to the sensory aspect of this play zone. A climbing cricket and snail offer more sensory and role play opportunities.

Grasslands

Grasslands, the second play zone within the park, is a 2-minute walk from the Sensory Play Zone. This are offers climbing for children aged 5 and over, with various challenging crossings and ascents onto the multiple towers.

This play feature has been designed to look like natural grassland and also contains natural carved grassland features to add to the theming.

The climbing unit has been installed onto a natural-looking bonded mulch surface.

Wetlands

Wetlands, the third play zone, is a further 10-minute walk and includes the Robina Play Duck, that offers climbing, role play and discovery. Two play panels are also installed in this area.

Squirrels Dray

The last area within the play park is the Squirrels Dray toddler zone. This zone has been designed for children up to 7 years and is an introduction to climbing and swinging, promoting essential development skills at a young age, such as balancing and upper body strength. With the added theming elements of carved wooden squirrels on top of the posts and also the squirrel spring rockers, this offers an enticing play offering to the younger visitors to the park.

Outcome

A successful installation period enabled the play zones were open in time for the start of the summer holidays and, as the first stage was so successful, the Council has decided to add further items to each play zone.