Children’s Playground
The children’s playground was re-opened on 1st July 2020
Safety checks are made on the playground each week by a member of the Parish Council, who competes the checklist on-site. When completed, that information on that checklist is then uploaded to this web page.
However, if you notice anything strange or unusual about the playground area or the units themselves, please contact us immediately so that we can check it out.
Covid19
Please remember that the Covid-19 virus has not gone away completely and Government advice is still to maintain social distancing whenever possible.
Help us to keep the playground safe and stop the virus spreading by keeping to Government advice.
In accordance with Government advice regarding the loosening of lockdown restrictions on communal play areas, the Parish Council has re-opened the children’s playground.
We have cut the grass and carried out a thorough check to ensure the safety of those who use it.
The playground equipment is used by passer’s by as well as our own children, which is why we have re-opened it at the earliest opportunity.
The playground when it opened in July 1998
Our children’s playground is now finally finished and the Parish Council has signed it off as completed. We have brought it in right on budget and have already put in place a maintenance programme for the coming years to make sure it stays looking good and safe to play on.
A big thanks to the guys at ALS who have done a great job of refurbishing the older units and constructing the newer ones so that our children, and those that visit MADRA, have a safe area to play in.
This is a great example of the current parish council sweeping away the lethargy of years gone by and getting things done. The committee setup to deal with it have done us all proud and a big thanks to Pat Lee, Alan Young & Peter Neatherway for rolling their sleeves up and making it happen.
We thought you might like to see some pictures of the finished playground
You can use the arrows on the left or right side to scroll the images or click on an image to open a bigger picture in a new page.
How we refurbished our village playground
The Parish Council has wanted to refurbish the children’s playground next to MADRA for a few years but funding has always been an issue.
Earlier this year the council managed to secure several grants as well as donations from Victory Housing and Bacton Power Station and set about;
- removing the main slide which was deemed to be no longer safe
- adding new playground equipment
- refurbishing the remaining existing equipment
- adding a new bench seat
- improving the safety aspects of the playground
The work was carried out by the guys at ALS, trusted suppliers to Knapton Parish Council.
They collected the two new pieces of equipment which were kindly donated to the council by Steven Clarke of Paston Hall and took them to Church Farm where the owner, Steve Hammond, had very generously set aside some space in one of his barns so that the guys could carry out the necessary repairs and refurbishment.
The units were taken apart, stripped down and cleaned, fittings and fixing replaced, and then put back together as good as new.
Once the refurbishment had been completed, ALS transported the units to the field and the playground area was sealed off while they were erected securely.
Then ALS turned their attention to the existing equipment and refurbished it, on site, to the same high standard.
The end result is a stunning looking playground with more equipment for the children to play on and enjoy.
The next stage was to have the playground inspected to ensure that it met all regulations and was Health & Safety approved.
The inspection was carried out by The Play Inspection Company on behalf of the Parish Council and was extremely thorough, taking nearly all day to complete.
Gaps were measured, bolts were checked, swings and slides tested and verified as being safe. Regulations are very tight these days and approval is required for insurance purposes.
Right from the outset the council agreed that the safety of the children playing on the equipment was paramount.
When the council received the report we noted a number of points that it suggested should be addressed. We asked ALS to do them all, even though some are not necessary, to ensure maximum safety for the children who use it.
We have received several glowing comments from Mums & Dads about how great the playground is for their children and that’s what makes all of our considerable efforts worth while… it’s why we did it!
To give our children a fun place to play safely
Mindless Damage to our Playground
