Grand opening for new Horsted Keynes playground

A group of the youngsters helped to cut the ribbon, and were quick to try out the wide range of new equipment, which it is hoped will engage kids and their families for many years to come.

Horsted Keynes Parish Council worked with Sutcliffe Play, a British manufacturer of children’s playground equipment to develop the new playground following a local consultation highlighting the need to refresh the existing playground.

Sarah Webster from the parish council said: “The existing playground was in desperate need of an update and we wanted to create a safe place for children to play and socialise in a rural setting.

“We’ve worked hard with the local community to ensure we deliver a playground to cater for their needs, and we felt it was important to give the opening back to them which is why we ran the competition.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in the process for all their hard work in helping us achieve a playground that we’re sure will have a long-lasting positive impact on the local community.”

The parish council said a new focal point for the playground comes from Sutcliffe Play’s environmentally friendly Orchard range.

The Twin Peaks unit is made from sustainably sourced pine logs from UK forests and combines age appropriate physically challenging activities with a natural appearance to blend into the local environment.

A rope bridge connects two platforms to create a mountainous feel and each platform has a variety of ways to climb or descend to keep children entertained time and time again.

The addition of music pipes adds extra play value.

Pick up this week’s Middy, which is out today (Thursday, October 18), to see more pictures from the event.

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