Challenge

Sovereign Play had previously installed a small bespoke canopy in a compact area at Ropley C of E Primary School 5-6 years previously. The school was so pleased with this that the office manager requested Sovereign's Area Sales Manager visit again in February 2023 with a two-stage project:

  1. to place a 24 x 4m pergola outside the main classrooms, providing an extension to the internal classroom. This included dividing walls between the outside classrooms. 

  2. the other project, which had been out previously measured up, was the idea of turning the area into a garden.

Memorial garden

The school had lost someone who had been associated with the school for many years and was known within the village. Norma had been at the school for a very long time and was part of the fabric of the school and it wanted to do something in her honour. The development of the garden was seen to be a fitting gesture for the long-term memory of Norma. A number of gameboard tables were also installed onto new artificial grass.

Outdoor classroom

Sovereign's main gazebo acted as the outdoor classroom that the school desired. Fence panels were included for an archway with Norma’s name engraved on it. From the main playground, people enter the area via ramp / bridge under the archway and into the garden.

Result

The funding from East Hants came in around the August as advised by the school and Sovereign quickly got to work and started end of September / October with everything completed in November.

Testimonial

“Sovereign listened to what we wanted and didn't try and push us to buy something we didn't need. The equipment is good quality and has been installed professionally. We are looking forward to many years of use.”
– Maria Burr, Office Manager

Q&A with Maria

Q: What were the reasons for starting your project?
We wanted to make better use of our outdoor space and be able to use it all year round

Q: How did you discover Sovereign and why did you choose us?
I have used Sovereign in the past and have a good relationship with Richard Pennington

Q: What was your experience of our design and installation process?
The installation team were great! They were friendly and accommodated the children throughout the day. They were happy to answer questions from the children and got used to having an audience while they worked! The project was installed quickly and efficiently and has been a great success. I would say the only negative is that the working area could have been left cleaner as we were using the school playground as an equipment and material storage area and it took a lot of cleaning and sweeping after the install team left to make it useable again. Lots and lots of screws left on the ground too.

Q: How has our equipment impacted or benefitted your school/organisation?
The areas have been hugely beneficial. We were able to have some of our Christmas Fair stalls outside under the canopies and we use the outdoor classroom every week. The children love the space and the cover from the weather is very gratefully received by the parents at the end of the day!

Q: What was your overall experience of having Sovereign fulfil your project?
Overall a very positive one. Richard stayed in touch throughout and we were able to fix any queries or issues quickly and painlessly. We were very happy overall.