The Customer
Based in Halewood, the TDCA is a charity that is made up of local resident who have made it their mission to support and involve the most marginalised members in the area.
Built to host a variety of TDCA events, the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre has always been looked at favourably amongst the residents of Halewood. From Halloween parties to Christmas events, the community always looks forward to coming together at this monumental venue to build a stronger sense of community.
A factor that is often brought up when residents talk about the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre is how the TDCA are always looking for ways to improve the centre. Through this strong desire to provide the best community centre, the TDCA have been looking at different ways they could bring the community closer together and even entice new members to visit the centre.
Meeting The Customer
Gary See, Chief Operating Officer at the TDCA, came across our website when he was looking for commercial playground equipment for the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre. Blown away by the innovative and creative designs, he instantly called our team to discuss his ideas.
Once the call was over, communication continued via email and Gary was amazed by how friendly we remained throughout the call and how knowledgeable our sales team were. Due to this positive experience, he was excited to book a meeting with one of our Outdoor Learning Consultants, Greg Rossiter, and discuss how the perfect playground could be created.
Their Objectives
During the consultation, Gary explained how the charity wanted to create a play area that would appeal to a wide age range of children in the Halewood. Not only should the play equipment be exciting and engaging, but the charity wanted outdoor play equipment that was durable and had a long life span.
As there was a nursery onsite, they also wanted some play equipment that nursery children could use. Any play equipment that could be incorporated into lessons by Nursery Practitioners was a huge positive.
Using his expertise, Greg worked closely with Gary and recommended a variety of play equipment that would suit the play area and the given space. Through this joined effort, Gary settled on a wide choice of play equipment that would appeal to all types of abilities and ages, making the playground the perfect inclusive space.
Our Approach
Having over 25 years worth of experience in the playground equipment industry, Pentagon Play have helped thousands of clients across the UK bring their dream playgrounds to life.
During these amazing years, we've learned the art of creating a customer journey that is stress-free, fun and memorable. Whether it's our friendly and knowledgeable outdoor learning consultants or our approachable and professional after care team, we want every step of the process to be a breeze.
Once our teams received the project brief, Pentagon Play started working hard to deliver a fantastic result. Throughout the entire process, the TDCA were amazed by the speed we worked at and how we offered continuous support and advice.
Surfacing
Providing a fantastic level of safety to any area that it's applied on, Pentagon Play's range of safety surfacing massively reduces the chance of serious injuries occurring on a playground. Play should be fun after all!
TDCA decided on using Pentagon Play's Playturf as the primary surfacing for the play area. Not only does Playturf reduce the chance of serious injuries (thanks to our state-of-the-art shock absorbers), but this surface requires minimal maintenance.
Unlike natural turf, artificial grass doesn't need to be cut or strimmed to maintain it's great looks, making it extremely cost effective. As a result, organisations like the TDCA can save time and resources and focus on other areas that need more attention.
As the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre playground was designed to provide a chance for children to escape their bedrooms and screens, Playturf enhances the natural appeal of any environment it's placed in. Children not only find it more relaxing and calming, but the grass provides a beautiful contrast to the concrete paths or tarmaced roads that they are use to seeing.
Playturf wasn't the only safety surface used on the play area. Meeting a variety of safety standards whilst being supplied in hundreds of unique colours, Pentagon Play's Wetpour surfacing option was selected to add some contrast to the area.
Wetpour is an incredible surface type as it offers the most bespoke options for clients. The TDCA wanted to incorporate a road-like design on the playground, encouraging children to escape into their imaginations and partake in pretend play.
As the surface is incredibly smooth and firm, Wetpour makes it easily accessible for children with mobility disabilities, and a perfectly wheelchair-friendly choice. As the TDCA wanted to create an inclusive play area, the wetpour would allow all types of children to engage in play.
Role Play and Imagination Area
Supporting imaginative play in a spectacular fashion, the Lookout Cabin is sure to be an attention grabber on any play area that it's installed on. Containing an artificial grass decking, a clear polycarbonate side and a huge chalkboard, this piece of imaginative play equipment is fantastic.
Children can transport themselves to new worlds and scenarios as they enter the Lookout cabin, improving a variety of cognitive skills. TDCA loved the idea of having the cabin present as all ages of children can utilise it. In addition, it also provides a quiet space for kids who are looking for a break from noise and commotion, adding another appealing factor for TDCA
Alongside the cabin, TDCA also decided to have a 3.5M Hexagonal Gazebo built on the play area. Constructed from high pressure treated 'play grade' timber, not only does the gazebo provide an unmatched level of durability, but it's also weather resistant, meaning it can be accessed in the harshest of weather conditions.
Alongside it's impressive looks, the gazebo arrives with 5 built in benches, providing a great location for children to take a break and relax. As the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre wanted to be an appealable space, this gazebo makes the perfect addition as it provides a comfortable area for children to unwind.
Physical Development Area
Physical development in children is incredibly important during a child's growth. Having play equipment that promotes physical activity not only helps your play area remain engaging but it also provides the USP of how your playground can assist with child development.
Built from high pressure treated 'play grade' timber and steel reinforced rope, the Pinnacle Hill Climber with Platform is a great piece of outdoor play equipment to get your kids active and developing their fine and gross motor skills.
Created as an inviting climbing challenge for nursery children, TDCA liked the aspect of including the Pinnacle Hill Climber for the younger children to explore and engage in. Aiming to be an inclusive playground, the Pinnacle Hill Climber is the perfect addition for achieving this goal.
Alongside the brilliant climbing frame, the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre purchased Pentagon Play's famous Get Set, Go! Blocks - The Mendips Set. Featuring 12 exciting blocks, the Mendips set is one of the more advanced sets that we offer.
Children can easily reposition the blocks and use their creative skills to dream up the perfect obstacle course to tackle. Parents can watch as their children develop vital social skills as well as building their physical skills up.
However, TDCA felt like they could add a few more pieces of public playground equipment to their outstanding play area and decided on having a Step Rope Traverse installed. Built to challenge your children's motor skills and problem solving, this piece of play equipment is great for children of all ages.
Whether children work together to navigate the rope or independently tackle this challenge, this piece of play equipment is sure to be popular within any play area it's placed in. The New Hutte Neighbourhood were excited to see the impact this piece of equipment would have and they weren't disappointed.
Finally, a pack of 4 Disc Poles were installed on the play area, providing a unique but exciting challenge that all children can engage with. New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre had the idea of scattering the Disc Poles around the area, providing a strong coverage of outdoor play equipment around the area.
Science Investigation Area
Who said playtime couldn't be educational? TDCA definitely didn't as they wanted to create a science and investigation area, encouraging children to explore a variety of scientific topics through simple and fun activities.
To create a science and investigation area, New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre had the following pieces of equipment installed on their play area:
- Windemere Water Play Package
- The Workshop Package
- Covered Sand Box - Large
- Large Sensory Panels
- Den Making Posts
- Sensory Spinner Sound Wheel
- Up and Under Blocks Ramp & Stair
Learning through play is one of the most effective methods of educating children and by creating an area with all of this playground equipment, organisations like the TDCA can help to deliver a beneficial form of play.
All of these pieces of play equipment encourage children to learn through their senses. Whether children are engaging with the Windemere Water Play Package and understanding more about water or they are playing in the large sand box and building structures, sensory play is a great for keeping children engaged and intrigued by the world around them.
No matter which piece of play equipment you pick from this list, you can be guaranteed that it has been constructed from the strongest materials available in the industry. Knowing that the TDCA is a charitable organisation, having durable and long lasting commercial play equipment can save organisations save money in the long term.
Story Telling Area
The final area that the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre wanted to create was a story telling area. Establishing a calm and relaxing environment, the story telling area is formed of a Freestanding Storytelling Chair and 4 Small Moveable Artificial Grass-Topped Seats.
Designed to be ergonomic, children will find it easy to sit on these seats and get comfortable, enhancing their focus and attention span for the story that will be read. Children can even engage in imaginative play and pretend that they are a teacher and read a story to the class, developing their self-confidence alongside their literacy skills.
The seats provide the perfect opportunity for taking lessons outside too as nursery practitioners can utilise the space and read an exciting story in an exciting environment. This element would help bring more visitors to the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre and provide a great opportunity for TDCA to learn more about the local community.
The Results
Once a few weeks had passed, we received a wonderful email from TDCA inviting us back to the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre to celebrate the official reopening of the refurbished nursery space and outdoor play space and we couldn't be happier to accept!
As we arrived, we were amazed to see how many people from the local community had come together to celebrate the opening of this fantastic park. After an exciting opening ceremony and great speeches, the park was officially opened!
Instantly, children ran to all the different types of play equipment and structures and explored their new environment, and it's safe to say that they were big fans of it! The amount of cheers and laughs we heard was amazing.
Speaking to some of the parents, we learned very quickly about how excited they were that there was a new play area here and how it allows children of all abilities to engage in play. Not only that, but the parents were thankful that the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre now offered an escape for kids to put down their screens and enjoy the nature that surrounds them!
Speaking to Gary, we were delighted to hear that they had achieved their objective of attracting new visitors to the centre. The grand opening of the play area provided a great reason for families in the area to head down and learn more about the centre.
From everyone here at Pentagon Play, we wish the absolute best to the TDCA and hope that the New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre remains the focal point of the Halewood community.
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