The play areas are set to receive the following new equipment:
- The Vale, Portishead – four bay swings, a basket swing, a replacement toddler multi-play unit and new safety surfacing
- Trendlewood Community Park, Nailsea – an accessible spinning dish, a four-person accessible seesaw to replace the dated standalone slide, a replacement toddler multi-play unit, and new safety surfacing
- The Park, Weston-super-Mare – a four-person toddler springer, spinning bowl and trim trail
- Salthouse Fields, Clevedon – a larger sand pit with a digger and play stations, two basket swings, a toddler unit with inclusive access stairs, a large climbing junior unit, a net twister, a 3D shark head and new safety surfacing.
The new equipment is set to be installed from the end of July, with work taking place at the Vale first. Installations will then happen at Trendlewood, followed by the Park. Work at each play area should take between two and three weeks.
Work will start at Salthouse Fields during early September, to avoid disruption during the busy summer period. This should take around five weeks to complete.
These improvements are being funded by North Somerset Council’s five-year capital investment programme to improve local play areas, which was launched in 2022.
Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: “We know how valuable our play areas are to our local communities, and we’ve consulted with residents to find out what improvements would have the biggest benefits for our families and young people.
“This year we’re investing £255k into play areas in each of our major towns. We’ve prioritised choosing accessible equipment which should be fun for all age ranges and abilities, including children and young people with SEND.
“This news also comes hot on the heels of the Green Flag Awards, which saw Trendlewood Community Park win the prestigious award for another year running.
“Thanks to our contractors Proludic and Kompan, who will be carrying out this work for us.”
Image shows the play area at Salthouse Fields, Clevedon, which is set to benefit from new equipment.