New Accessible Play Equipment Installed

New Accessible Play Equipment Installed

Thatcham is fortunate to have 16 play areas across the town, providing families with a wide variety of equipment and space to enjoy. 12 of these play areas are managed by the Town Council.

Thatcham Town Council committed to providing accessible and inclusive equipment to ensure that children of all abilities are able to play together wherever possible, and as a result of substantial investment, we are pleased to announce the recent installation of accessible equipment in a number of our play areas, bringing more fun and excitement for children to enjoy:

• a ramped jeep springer at Turnfields, which allows a wheelchair user to be at the heart of the play experience with other friends. The unit incorporates many tactile features and role play opportunities for users of all abilities;

• a flush roundabout at Kennet Heath, allowing up to six children including a wheelchair user to spin together, with seating available for parents and carers to accompany their child;

• a playhouse at Moorside, which has eleven ground level play features and lots of tactile and sensory stimuli to aid the cognitive development of younger users; and

• play panels at Dunstan Green and Lamb Close and a rain wheel at Dunstan Green which provide visual, tactile and auditory stimulation for all users.

This is in addition to continued investment in the play areas generally, having replaced various pieces of equipment throughout the year, such as crawl tunnels, springers, mirror panels, and monkey bars, as well as the normal routine maintenance.

The £40k accessibility project was possible thanks to £20,000 of Community Infrastructure Levy funds held by the Town Council and £19,950 from West Berkshire District Councillors’ Members’ Bid funding.

Leader of Thatcham Town Council and West Berkshire District Councillor, Lee Dillon said: “I am delighted that along with Thatcham West Berkshire Members we were able to secure new play equipment across 5 play areas in Thatcham. We are committed to improving our parks and increasing the amount of accessible play equipment, so I hope families enjoy these new additions.”

Chairman of the Town Council’s Recreation & Amenities Committee, Mark Lillycrop said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to provide accessible play equipment across the town; a big thank you to all those involved in the funding. I really would encourage families to visit the playgrounds and try out the new items. Please let us know what you think.”

We’d love to see your children enjoying the new equipment, tag @ThatchamTC on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.