Zip wire play, a climbing wall, trampoline, fossil fun, plus sand pit, are among the new park equipment open for kids in Sidmouth.
Months of delays waiting for the new Ham play park to be ready came to an end this week when Sidmouth Town Council announced the facelift was complete.
The council said the park was now ready to use – ending months of delays as a result of the pandemic and a shortage of construction staff and materials.
Boat activity centre, Martha D.
Photo: Sidmouth Town Council.
The new swings.
Photo: Sidmouth Town Council.
A new slide.
Photo: Sidmouth Town Council.
The rope rocker.
Photo: Sidmouth Town Council.
Boat activity centre, Martha D.
Photo: Sidmouth Town Council.
Councillor Louise Cole, one of the project leaders, said: “I am so pleased the park is now finished and think it looks fantastic.
“The materials used and special design details we incorporated make it really attractive, link to our location and hopefully will be a lot of fun.
“We worked hard to incorporate children and parents’ ideas and priorities within the budget and limit of the space and we faced lots of delays so it is really a joy for it now to be complete.
“Outdoor play spaces are so important for so many reasons. Let’s see it in action now and see what children and young people think.”
The new park equipment includes a zip wire, climbing wall, slides, swings, trampoline, boat activity centres and sand pit with some hidden ‘fossils’ to discover.
A seating area with a sunshade and a gravel pathway have been incorporated into the park, which was designed specifically for Sidmouth.
Sidmouth Town Council said it was ‘delighted’ to announce the reopening of the Ham play park and invited kids to explore the new equipment.
A town council spokesman said: “New signage will soon be in place and planting will be added as finishing touches to what is a fresh new design which takes account of different types of play, ensures a better flow and sight lines.
“The new equipment features include a zip wire, climbing wall, slides, swings, trampoline, boat activity centres and sand pit with some hidden ‘fossils’ to discover.
“The park has been reconfigured with a porous natural gravel pathway which winds its way through from one end to the other and incorporates extra seating areas including an area with sunshade.
“The design is unique and bespoke to Sidmouth reflecting the coast and seaside setting and even has a piece of Sidmouth fishing history represented.”
The park facelifts were first announced in 2020, when the town council called on local kids to help design £155,000 improvements at the Ham play area, and Long Park, near Manstone Lane and Arcot Road.
Long Park opened to the public in October 2022.
The town council spokesman added: “Due to a shortage of key materials and elements for both parks, works had been delayed with both the Ham and Long Park play park replacements, but with Long Park completed in October, attention turned to the Ham in earnest which the council is thrilled to be able to open.”
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