A new suite of wooden play equipment costing £16,000 is soon to be installed at the Beacon Play Area on Bradley Stoke’s Jubilee Green.

The new ‘play challenge’ is being brought in to replace items of equipment that were removed earlier this year after being condemned as unsafe during an annual inspection carried out by a specialist company. As reported in our February magazine, timber beams within the original equipment had rotted away over a period of ten years, making it structurally unsafe.

Work already completed at the site since January includes the installation of a new safety surface and the replacement of the large wooden bridge.

Speaking at the meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council held on 13th March, premises manager John Rendell informed councillors that the proposed new play equipment comes with a 15-year warranty and is “designed to offer physical challenges to young people from the ages of 3 up to teen ages”. Mr Rendell added that he had spoken to park users and the management of the pre-school resident at the Jubilee Centre to gauge their opinions of the proposals and had received very positive feedback.

Options for replacing the previous wood and cob ‘youth structure’ (a.k.a. teen shelter) were also discussed by councillors, with three options presented by officers: a bespoke wooden design, a traditional wooden design and a standard metal design. Whilst a wooden structure would have been more in keeping with the original Beacon Play area ethos, councillors opted to go for a basic metal structure with a concrete base. The estimated cost, including installation, was put at around £8,000. A contribution of £1,500 is expected to come from the Friends of Jubilee Green charity, which is understood to be in the process of being wound up.

Officers referred to the proposed new structure as a ‘community shelter’ and pointed out that it was also for use by parents supervising children playing at the park and hence would have all-round views.

Mr Rendell told the Journal that he hopes to have the new play equipment installed at the park “by early May at the latest”.

This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 29). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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Two major features of the Beacon Play Area on Bradley Stoke’s Jubilee Green were removed at the beginning of January after being condemned as unsafe during an annual inspection carried out by a specialist company.

The large wooden bridge and the teen shelter were found to have deteriorated beyond repair, according to a report presented to January’s meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council.

Premises manager John Rendell explained that the structure of the equipment had deteriorated significantly, with timber beams “rotting away above ground level and even more so underground”.

Mr Rendell added: “Lots of time and effort has gone into keeping the equipment safe over recent years and it didn’t come as a major surprise when we received the news.”

The Jubilee Green Beacon Play Area is one of a number of non-traditional play areas that were constructed across South Gloucestershire in 2009, with the help of a £454,400 grant awarded to the local authority by the Big Lottery Fund.

At that time, South Gloucestershire Council’s play development officer told the Journal: “These projects aim to provide a different approach to creating places to play for children. This is based on the idea of designing a whole landscape, which is fun to play in, combining natural and man-made features. The result should be attractive, usable by people of all ages and unique to the site.”

The Jubilee Green park was officially opened by the then town mayor Cllr Mark Forsyth on 24th July 2009. A charity, Friends of Jubilee Green, was formed to oversee further development of the park and organise community events, but this has not been active recently due to the group’s trustees being unable to commit time due to increasing commitments at work and home.

Outlining future plans for the facility, Mr Rendell said: “We have already started the [remedial] works and we aim to replace the pea gravel with a tiger mulch safety surface (funded by Friends of Jubilee Green), which will vastly improve the outlook. We will shape and mould the mounds where the bridge once was and we will be adding some much-needed new active play equipment into the play area itself, giving users a much more diverse play option.”

He added: “We are looking into the possibility of installing a ‘community seating area’ on the village green to ensure we cater for all age groups going forward.”

Detailed proposals are likely to be brought to a council meeting in February. It is hoped to have all the works completed before the summer months.

This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 19). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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Forecasters are predicting fine weather for two family-friendly events taking place at Bradley Stoke’s Jubilee Green this weekend.

The fun gets under way at 7:30pm on Friday (7th September) with FREE live music and screenings of “fun, family-friendly short films” by a solar-power outdoor cinema.

The event is being staged by the organisation behind the Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, which takes place later this month in venues across Bristol’s harbourside.

The organisers are promising a special, family-friendly programme of short films and animations selected from over 1,900 submissions from all over the world. A press release states:

“This unique solar-powered cinema is brought to you by Know Alternative, a mobile solar unit with all equipment – including their electric milk float projector – powered by the sun. You are invited to bring a picnic, something to sit on, a blanket, friends and family and wrap up warm for a night of entertainment under the stars.”

The evening’s live entertainment will be provided by Ryan Hawkings, an 18-year-old singer/songwriter based in the south west of England, who looks towards names such as Newton Faulkner, Snow Patrol and Ed Sheeran for his musical inspiration.

Saturday (8th September) sees The Friends of Jubilee Green staging a Family Fun Day, which promises a bouncy castle, quad bikes (weather dependent) and a comedy magician.

Stokes Cycling Club will also be at Saturday’s event, offering advice and a chance to have a go on a mini cyclo-cross track.

Also on offer will be craft activities, large outdoor toys and low cost refreshments.

The weather forecast for Bradley Stoke predicts that Saturday will be sunny with temperatures of around 22 degrees.

More information about the weekend’s events at Jubilee Green »

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Levels of vandalism at Bradley Stoke’s play areas show no sign of abating, judging by the latest quarterly Health & Safety report published by the Town Council last week.

Three silver birch trees at the Jubilee Green play park, the only ones remaining from the original planting following earlier vandalism, were snapped off at the end of May.

At the Rosemary Close play area, the see-saw was broken in half in March, costing the Council £1,405 to replace. At the same park, vandalism to a metal railing, discovered in May, cost £165 to put right.

The skate park at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre has been the scene of three reported incidents. Obscene, sexually graphic graffiti drawn with a marker pen on some of the ramps had to be removed by the Council’s Mobile Cleansing Operative during May. Two fence panels around the park have been vandalised and a large hole made in one of the ramps.

In April, part of the multi-play equipment at the Baileys Court play area was pulled off and taken away.

Also at Baileys Court, a fire was started on the cricket veranda in April and the cricket nets were cut during the last week in June.

Anyone witnessing an act of criminal damage is asked to phone the police on 101 and notify the Town Council on 01454 205020.

More: Vandalism cost Council over £7,000 in 2010/2011 »

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