PLAY
Joyful play spaces, creating nature connection for all ages and abilities through trails, play parks and school grounds projects.
Catherine Street Inclusive Play Park and Community Garden - Dumfries
A project which was both inspiring and a joy to be involved in. Catherine Street park grew out of the passion of local community and strong collaborative working with local council and partners. An existing park, located next to an inclusive café and identified as potential to develop and receive funding for a fully inclusive park and garden provision for disabled and less abled children and adults. Designing with the existing mature trees, linking to the café terrace directly, working with artists to create bespoke features and play suppliers to redesign and develop specific solutions to site, the park was transformed into an exciting, inclusive, vibrant natural play space. Water play was installed onto site and a fully serviced office and outdoor classroom space, to create a unique offer within Dumfries, full of sensory and tactile play and with a team on site to continue to develop, grow and engage with user groups. The project was a finalist in the Landscape Institute Awards 2020, within the Health and Wellbeing category.
Brockholes Play Trail - Lancashire
Designed by Kelda Platt during time working at the Forestry Commission. Brockholes Play Trail, created as a part of the regeneration works, restoring former gravel extraction works into a wildlife rich and habitat diverse nature reserve. The site focuses on bird life and boasts a floating visitor centre attraction. The design of the play area follows the theme of excavation works, as well as links to site geology, as natural play spaces were created through six different themed zones. Kelda Platt from Munro Landscape developed the detailed design of the play scheme, working with Brockholes site team and Timberplay. Equipment was selected to suit each theme, and to work with different aspects of play, imagination, physical, exploration with particular care to enhance the natural setting of the nature reserve’s surroundings. Client: Forestry Commission
Whinlatter Play Trail - Cumbria
Designed by Kelda Platt during time working at the Forestry Commission. Located within Whinlatter forest, near to the busy town of Keswick within the north Lake District, the play trail provides a 600m long escape into the pine woodlands next to the Whinlatter visitor centre. Design was undertaken for the sketch design and detail stages to include 9 separate play zones, featuring natural play elements, water play, climbing, log forest, and magical trails through the fairy kingdom.
