Jupiter Play and Inclusive Play worked together with Chelmsford City Council, Essex County Council and FACE (Families Acting for Change in Essex) to create a WOW play space that was completely wheelchair accessible as part of their vision to provide more quality and equal play opportunities for children.
The requirement from the families was to give children with special needs a chance to access really high points and have a feeling of elevation and risk that they may not ordinarily get to feel. Our design team was excited to take up this challenge, creating a bespoke unit for wheelchair elevation brought together with a range of inclusive play options.
The Adventure Castle play area in Hylands Park is officially accredited by PiPA (Planning Inclusive Play Areas). Much of the playground was specifically designed in conjunction with the special needs school Columbus School and College with disabled children. Inclusive features comprise an acoustic roller providing musical stimulation and a cradle swing to whoosh through the air. There are only 18 sites nationally with PiPA accreditation and the play area in Hylands Park is one of only nine that have the top-level ‘Destination’ status.
