Pathfinder/Playbuilder information
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For some specifiers planning and purchasing exterior play equipment for children can be quite a challenge. It is not a simple exercise, but Playdale can 'lend a hand'. We have been manufacturing children's outdoor play equipment and designing playgrounds for over 30 years, and can offer a wealth of practical experience to help you through this process.Your outdoor playground will need to encourage children to play and have fun, and will need a balance between challenging play and safety.
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Free Consultation and Playground Design Service
Our Playground Planning and Design Service is free of charge and without obligation. This includes site meetings, our CAD service and all outdoor playground plans, visuals and presentations.
Briefing Meeting - How we can help
Our Area Managers are ready to assist and can meet you on your proposed playground area to listen to all your individual requirements, timescale and budget. You can help us to gather detailed information, and we will do our best to answer any questions while helping you to make sure the right play equipment, layout and challenges are selected to suit different age ranges, from toddler play equipment to teenage youth shelters and skate park equipment. We will carry out a full playground area survey to record exact measurements and area details. After this meeting, with our in-house playground design team we can quickly transform your brief and initial ideas into a comprehensive outdoor playground scheme.
DDA - The Disability Discrimination Act
We design outdoor play areas that provide a good balance of children's play activities for different ages and abilities with our emphasis being on including all, and not introducing segregation due to disability i.e. ‘Inclusive play'. This emphasis has continued over 25 years and can be seen particularly in the development of our exterior play equipment. Click here for play area guidance notes regarding the DDA Act and for more information.
Plans, Perspectives and Visuals
When finalizing outdoor playground designs we carefully assess important details such as the selection of the outdoor play equipment and play value, interaction between differing age groups, access for push-chairs and wheel-chairs, provision of safety surfacing, seating, fencing, litterbins, footpaths, gates and the surrounding environment. Plans are drawn to the European Playground Safety Standard BS EN1176 on our CAD system.You will receive a scaled plan, illustrations and photographs of the play equipment and, or 3D playground perspective to give you a clear picture of your proposed playground. To view examples of plans and perspectives view the gallery below.
Play Area Quotes and Playground Presentation
We will also aim to hold a face to face meeting to present our detailed playground quotation along with guarantees and the relevant play equipment and safer surfacing test certificates to prove compliance to BS EN1176. If you wish, our Area Managers are happy to present your scheme to a group of people, at a convenient time for yourselves, when they can answer any questions the group may have. Your outdoor playground plan will be held on our CAD system, enabling us to quickly amend your play area design should you wish to make any changes. We are happy to present revised playground designs until you are completely satisfied with the playground scheme.
Fundraising for you Outdoor Play Area
A playground presentation will help at an early stage if you are applying for grants or fundraising. Your plan can be drawn and presented to show a phased development over a longer period of time, and you can install the phases as your play area budget allows. This may help if, initially, funds are available for only part of your final playground plans. A phased scheme at this stage can also help to generate enthusiasm to increase fundraising activity. If you require further help with funding please contact us.
Computer-Aided Design
Using the latest CAD technology we provide all of our play equipment and safer surfacing plans in either DXF or Auto CAD format. If you are designing your playground on a computer, contact us to receive our CD ROM.
Gallery
