Wicksteed Playgrounds

PLAY FOR KEEPS

Posted on August 7, 2024

The allure of holiday parks, caravan parks, campsites, and glamping sites lie in their ability to offer a break from the routine, a chance to reconnect with nature, and an opportunity for families to create lasting memories. Central to this experience is the provision of high-quality outdoor play areas.

These spaces not only enhance the holiday experience for children but also provide a significant return on investment (ROI) for the business owners by attracting and retaining guests. Children’s play is a crucial aspect of development, fostering physical, social, and cognitive growth.
In today’s digital age, encouraging children to step away from screens and engage in physical activity is more important than ever. Play areas in leisure settings serve as a catalyst for this shift, offering children a safe and stimulating environment to explore and have fun.

For parents, knowing that their children are happy and engaged allows them to relax and enjoy their holiday, making the overall experience more enjoyable for the entire family. High-quality play provisions are more than just an added amenity, they are a strategic investment.
According to Proludic’s research, 93% of visitors consider play areas an important factor when choosing a holiday park, leisure, or visitor attraction. This statistic underscores the significant influence that play areas have on consumer decisions, making them a key component of successful holiday venues.

ALL OF WICKSTEED’S products are tested to the appropriate British and European Safety standards.

CREATING MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES
Playgrounds contribute to creating memorable experiences that families cherish. Proludic’s findings highlight that the most cherished memories from holidays often stem from the joy and adventure experienced in play areas.
In an era where unique experiences drive consumer choices, leisure businesses that prioritize high-quality, well-designed playgrounds can differentiate themselves in a competitive market. These positive experiences foster brand loyalty and generate positive online reviews, enhancing the reputation of the holiday park.

As guests share their positive experiences with others, either through word-of-mouth or online platforms, the park gains increased visibility and attracts new visitors, thereby ensuring a steady flow of guests and repeat visits. Wooda Farm Holiday Park in North Cornwall exemplifies the impact of investing in play areas. The park recently revamped its play area to reflect the local North Devon coastline incorporating new vibrant play equipment.
This investment not only enhanced the park’s appeal but also provided children with an engaging and enjoyable environment. The timely delivery of the new play area by Proludic ensured that it was ready for the busy holiday season, contributing to a successful and profitable period for the park.

PROLUDIC STRIVES TO ENSURE that their play areas cater to the needs of children from toddlers through to teenagers.

THE FINANCIAL UPSIDE OF PLAY PROVISIONS
Demonstrating ROI on play area investments can be challenging, but strategic planning can yield significant financial benefits. Siting play areas near cafes and other paid leisure facilities can boost revenue by encouraging families to spend more time and money on-site.
Parents can enjoy a coffee or a meal while their children play nearby, creating a win-win situation for both the families and the park operators. Proludic’s primary research supports this approach, indicating that well-placed and high-quality play areas are a compelling factor for visitors. This evidence highlights the financial viability of investing in play areas as part of a broader strategy to enhance visitor satisfaction and increase on-site spending.

INCLUSIVE PLAY
Inclusivity is a key consideration in the design of modern play areas. Ensuring that play spaces cater to children of all abilities not only promotes social integration but also aligns with principles of diversity and equality. Proludic and Wicksteed, two leading providers of play equipment, emphasise the importance of inclusive play spaces.
By offering equipment that accommodates a wide range of abilities, these companies help create environments where all children can participate in play. Inclusive play areas are not just about meeting legal requirements; they demonstrate a commitment to providing a welcoming environment for every guest. This approach enhances the overall appeal of the holiday park, making it an attractive option for families with children of varying abilities.

WICKSTEED HAVE PROUDLY BEEN manufacturing playgrounds in the heart of the UK for more than 100 years

THE ROLE OF QUALITY AND SAFETY
Wicksteed have proudly been manufacturing playgrounds in the heart of the UK for more than 100 years, making them the UK’s premier Outdoor Playground, Leisure and Fitness Manufacturer. As the exclusive UK partner and sole distributor of Berliner Seilfabrik and having recently partnered with Russell Play, we offer a diverse range of distinctive outdoor play equipment, showcasing remarkable imagination and creativity within the market.

Their industry-leading, comprehensive warranties are a testament to the longevity and durability of their products, and also offer a wide range of warranty terms to cover various components, demonstrating their commitment to delivering high-quality solutions that stand the test of time.

As a UK-based company, they are uniquely positioned to provide efficient and responsive support for all your outdoor playground needs. Their headquarters in Kettering serve as a hub of readily available spares, enabling them to swiftly address maintenance requirements and minimise downtime for valued customers.

This proximity to spare parts translates to a faster turnaround, ensuring that your play equipment remains in optimal condition and ready for enjoyment. With the focus on accessibility, they take pride in delivering prompt solutions, enhancing the overall experience of working with them.

PROLUDIC’S RESEARCH found that memorable experiences created through play are often the most cherished by visitors.

DESIGNING OR UPDATING PLAY AREAS:
KEY CONSIDERATIONS When designing or updating play areas, several key considerations can help maximize their impact:
1. Age Inclusivity:
Play areas should cater to various age groups, ensuring that children of different ages find suitable activities. This inclusivity broadens the park’s appeal and keeps visitors engaged.

2. Inclusive Equipment:
Incorporating inclusive play equipment ensures that children of all abilities can participate. This fosters a sense of belonging and promotes social integration.

3. Themed Play Areas:
Themed play areas, like the coastal-themed playground at Wooda Farm Holiday Park, can create a unique and memorable experience that reflects the local environment.

4. Safety and Durability:
High-quality, durable equipment that meets safety standards is essential. This not only ensures the safety of children but also reduces maintenance costs and downtime.

5. Strategic Placement:
Placing play areas near cafes and other paid facilities can boost revenue by encouraging families to spend more time and money on-site.

WICKSTEED’S DESIGN and manufacture bespoke play equipment allowing holiday parks to tailor their play area.

Providers like Proludic and Wicksteed offer comprehensive support, from initial design consultations and cost estimates to installation and ongoing maintenance. Their expertise ensures that play areas are not only fun and engaging but also safe and durable.
Wicksteed’s capability to design and manufacture bespoke play equipment allows holiday parks to tailor play areas to their specific needs and themes. This flexibility ensures that each play area is unique and aligns with the park’s overall branding and environment.

Investing in high-quality, inclusive play areas is a strategic move for holiday parks, caravan parks, campsites, and glamping sites. These investments enhance visitor experiences, foster brand loyalty, and provide substantial financial returns. By understanding and leveraging the power of play, leisure businesses can create memorable experiences that attract and retain visitors, ensuring long-term success and profitability.
Incorporating diverse, inclusive, and well-designed play areas can transform a holiday park into a preferred destination for families. As the demand for unique and engaging experiences grows, those who prioritize the quality and inclusivity of their play provisions will stand out in the competitive leisure market.

By partnering with experienced providers like Proludic and Wicksteed, holiday parks can ensure that their play areas are not only fun and engaging but also safe, durable, and reflective of their unique identity.

Proludic
0115 982 3980
www.proludic.co.uk

Wicksteed Playgrounds
01536 517028
www.wicksteed.co.uk

Children's play is a crucial aspect of development, fostering physical, social, and cognitive growth.

Holiday Park Innovation PREVIEW

Posted on October 31, 2019

Holiday Park Innovation PREVIEW

ABOVE: More than 4,000 visitors are expected for this month’s Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show.

Underlining its reputation as one of the leading holiday park shows in Europe, this month’s Holiday Park Innovation aims to attract over 4,000 key decision makers in the industry to the NEC for its unmissable annual gathering. For added appeal, the event from November 6 to 7 inclusive, reinforces its recipe for success by running other rural shows alongside, including the Farm Business Innovation Show, Family Attraction Expo, and our launch show, the Leisure Food and Beverage Expo. The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show is dedicated to providing the country’s most ambitious holiday park and resort owners and managers with the best advice, services, and products to make their holiday business stand out from the rest. With 400 exhibitors and 170 seminars dedicated to the industry, it’s the perfect opportunity to create the idyllic getaway for your customers. Learn the latest industry knowledge and gain insight into the newest innovations and technology currently available. If the exhibitors themselves were not enough to pack your visit, over the two days, the organisers offer a tempting seminar programme backed by insightful speakers.

Take some time to visit the Keynote theatre from 11 am to 4 pm. On both days speakers will be covering topics as broad as Post-Brexit Tourism, Maximising the Natural Environment, and Busting Outdoor Accommodation Myths while Hoseasons’ Shelley D’Arcy discusses the benefits of using land for the holiday market. Three other theatres offer stand-out presentations from 11 am to 4 pm daily covering subjects as varied as holiday hot tubs, playground design, to water conservation. Look out for Vicky Parr, from Visit England, discussing ways of boosting your business for holiday makers in the UK while Dave Courteen of Mosaic Spa and Health Clubs will outline How to Create a Profitable On-Site Leisure. So what are you waiting for? Register for your free tickets via the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show website with your chance to see the show first hand.

  • ABOVE: The exhibition is supported by 170 seminars all targeting the holiday destination sector.
  • ABOVE: Event exhibitors offer the best advice, services, and products to ensure holiday businesses stand out from the crowd.
  • ABOVE: Some 400 exhibitors offer an insight into the newest innovations and technology currently available.

As the main media partner to the event, Holiday Park Scene is a B2B print and on-line magazine for the holiday park sector, earning itself a reputation as an essential read for anyone involved in holiday park management. Packed with fresh ideas and essential reading for anyone who runs or works in a holiday park the magazine is available on-line at www.holidayparkscene.com Holiday Park Scene offers the inside track on the latest market news and reports covering all aspects of holiday park management. Most importantly, Holiday Park Scene provides you with a targeted platform to promote your products and services across all areas of the UK and Eire holiday park sector. If you would like to get involved with this exciting publication, please don`t hesitate to visit the team at the show or make direct contact now, to help us understand how to make you stand out from the crowd.

Exhibition Showcase

British Holiday & Home Parks Association
Tel. 01452 526911
Web. bhhpa.org.uk

BusinessesForSale.com
Web. businessesforsale.com/sell

Family Holiday Association
Tel: 0203 117 0650
Web: familyholidayassociation.org.uk


Fordingbridge
Tel. 01243 554455
Web. fordingbridge.co.uk

Gemapark
Tel. 01983 282420
Web. gemapark.co.uk

Light Sauce
Tel. 0845 470 6060
Web. light-sauce.co.uk

Marquis Spas
Tel. 07722 187272
Web. marquishottubs.co.uk/holidaypark

Suntrap Systems
Tel. 0121-428 1155
Web. suntrap-systems.co.uk

Wicksteed Playgrounds
Tel. 01536 517028
Web. wicksteed.co.uk

Wilby Park Protect Insurance
Tel. 01422 358 525
Web. parkprotect.co.uk

AstralPool
Tel. 01329 514000
Email. sales@astralpooluk.com

Happy Days

Posted on May 3, 2017

Happy Days

An exciting and challenging play area for all ages and abilities gives children somewhere to let off steam and make new friends as well as giving them some independence on holiday. Pic: HAGS.

An exciting and challenging play area for all ages and abilities gives children somewhere to let off steam and make new friends as well as giving them some independence on holiday. Pic: HAGS.

As any holiday park operator will tell you, happy and entertained children mean happy and relaxed parents. An exciting and challenging play area for all ages and abilities gives children somewhere to let off steam and make new friends as well as giving them some independence on holiday. Mike Harris, Director at Warren Farm Holiday Centre in Bream, Somerset invested in new playground facilities last year, designed and supplied by HAGS. He said: “We are known as a child friendly park, and people purposefully book plots near the play areas.

The initial outlay was definitely worthwhile and we have a large number of repeat visitors because of this, as well as many new ones.” “The more attractive, enticing, challenging and fun the outdoor play equipment is, the more likely it will be that visitors to the play area will continue to visit and enjoy all the facilities on offer and it could be the deciding factor on choice of holiday destination,” comments Stuart Wetherell for Wicksteed Playgrounds. Wicksteed was recently commissioned to create an impressive and imaginative playpark at Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick, Scotland. Reflecting the history of the area, a large bespoke timber castle-inspired feature takes pride of place at the centre of the play area. The custom-built castle is adorned with turrets, slides, climbing nets and monkey bars as well as a bridge over a moat and portcullis entrance.

Wicksteed Playgrounds was recently commissioned to create an impressive and imaginative playpark at Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick.

Wicksteed Playgrounds was recently  commissioned to create an  impressive and imaginative playpark at Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick.

The £300k play facility was developed as part of a £3.64m park regeneration project, funded by Scottish Borders Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. “Local children were involved with creating the designs and ideas for the play area and came up with the idea of incorporating Hawick’s history and scenery into the design. The play park proudly features a castle, river design, horse artwork and a common riding flag as part of the surface design,” commented Gordon Webber, Wilton Lodge Park Events Manager.

RANGE OF FEATURES : The play park features a range of different zones with play equipment suitable for a variety of age groups and abilities. A timber fenced area features sensory sound and visual items as well as a central carved timber totem pole. Wicksteed has become the go to for cleverly designed bespoke playgrounds which can reflect the history of the site or have a theme running throughout. The company has also developed an award-winning range of outdoor gym equipment, the FLZ, which is ideally suited to the holiday park environment and suitable for those aged 14 plus.

“Prices do of course vary depending upon the type of equipment, landscaping and installation but a product from Wicksteed’s Toddlers’ range might start at around £500 with individual, interactive panels from around £590,” explains the Stuart. “An entire playground which could contain multi-play, modular units together with fitness products would obviously require greater funds, so it all depends on the project in question. To achieve a ‘wow’ factor a new green site fully supplied area should have a budget of around £70K.”

World of Rides have served the holiday park industry with a fully comprehensive range of coin-operated leisure rides and equipment for nearly five decades.

World of Rides have served the holiday park industry with a fully comprehensive range of coin-operated leisure rides and equipment for  nearly five decades.

REGULAR CHECKS
Apart from keeping your play equipment and areas regularly checked to meet health and safety standards, there are no guidelines stipulating when a playground requires updating, this is solely down to playground owners. However, updating your equipment regularly to stay ahead of the competition will certainly help attract and retain customers, providing a greater return on investment.
It is recommended that any equipment purchased for unsupervised use is certified as compliant to EN1176 (the European Playground safety standard), this ensures that the equipment is designed and manufactured to a high standard and will provide an exciting and challenging experience while minimising risk.  The safety of children on their playgrounds doesn’t just depend upon the initial design of the area and the selection of equipment within it. Its continued management and the delivery of high quality inspection and maintenance schedules are crucial if the safe opportunities for children to play creatively are to be preserved. Mark Rands, Head of UK Installation and Service at HAGS comments: “We know that a good maintenance regime will significantly extend the life of your equipment and reduce the likelihood of accidents. Regular servicing and replacement of worn out parts is essential to keep your play area safe and compliant.
“Remember it is the responsibility of the owner to keep the play area safe, delaying needed repairs not only shortens the life of the equipment but increases the risk of an accident. The inspection should cover the whole of the site - not just the play equipment. Pathways, fences and seats all need to be checked.”

FIRM FAVOURITES

Fenland Leisure Products’ (FLP) U-Design service is for bespoke projects from small special needs units, access bridges to larger themed multi-play units and fully equipped assault courses. Your project can be based on existing products and tweaked to your specific requirements or wholly new and unique. Bespoke designs are a fantastic group involvement activity. For children, fun is strongly related to play and they have great capacity to extract the fun from it in a spontaneous and inventive way. What a great legacy to build and be a part of. FLP will guide you on the legalities of play equipment design and advise you when it comes to surfacing and fall heights, but the creative ideas are all yours.

Fenland Leisure Products’ (FLP) U-Design service is for bespoke projects from small special needs units, access bridges to larger themed multi-play units and fully equipped assault courses. Your project can be based on existing products and tweaked to your specific requirements or wholly new and unique. Bespoke designs are a fantastic group involvement activity. For children, fun is strongly related to play and they have great capacity to extract the fun from it in a spontaneous and inventive way. What a great legacy to build and be a part of. FLP will guide you on the legalities of play equipment design and advise you when it comes to surfacing and fall heights, but the creative ideas are all yours.

HAGS is a global company with a product offering that stretches over an extensive range of thousands of play products– designed for people of all ages. They have gained over 50 years’ experience in providing both landscaped and traditional outdoor areas. The best-selling UniPlay and UniMini ranges from HAGS offer a vast number of play functions and games within a unique modular system.
HAGS offer a wide range of standard ready-made units for every size and budget, and additionally, all units can be customised by adding special features or games to create your ideal play space.
Liz Townsend, Head of UK Proposals for HAGS says: “Our customers want a play area that is visually striking and attractive – something that immediately captures the imagination of children and becomes memorable so families have a great time and want to return again. The design details are what holds a child’s attention for longer than a few minutes, for example: tower structures are very popular with all ages, even more so when they have interactive games and imaginative activities that can involve all generations.” Liz continues: “At HAGS we focus on a ‘cost per user’ model during the design process, this helps eliminate single user items that can be expensive to own for little return in place of items that offer great play and financial value for users and owners alike.”

“Play facilities are vital in holiday parks, in order to both attract and retain the family spend,” says David Robison of World of Rides. “2017 is going to be a milestone year for the UK’s holiday parks, as Brexit and the fluctuating exchange rates are making more and more families stay at home in the UK for their holidays. However, if operators do not invest in new equipment to entertain their visitors and guests during this exceptional year, then they may not return in future years.” World of Rides have served the holiday park industry with a fully comprehensive range of coin-operated leisure rides and equipment for nearly five decades, ranging from battery rides and static rides to quadricycles and rowing boats. “For the past few years our Go-Karts, Super Hero Trikes and licensed character static rides have been the firm favourites with children, but for 2017 holiday park operators are suddenly asking for our driving school cars and above ground pools with bumper boats, in order to satisfy the demand of their customers for new experiences,” says David.

COMPANY CONTACTS
FENLAND LEISURE PRODUCTS Tel. 01354 638359 www.fenlandleisure.co.uk
HAGS Tel. 0845 260 1655 www.hags-smp.co.uk
WORLD OF RIDES Tel. 0191 49 20 999 www.worldofrides.com
WICKSTEED PLAYGROUNDS Tel. 01536 517028 www.wicksteed.co.uk

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Technology At The Forefront Of Play

Posted on January 13, 2016

Technology At The Forefront Of Play

Wicksteed Playgrounds has made significant investments this year; in its manufacturing centre, through new technology and increasing skilled personnel.

Picture: Wicksteed Playgrounds.

Wicksteed Playgrounds, a leading supplier of playground equipment to the holiday park sector has recently expanded its range of products, following significant investment in its manufacturing centre.

The UK play company has invested £105,000 on improvements, with the introduction of an additional state-of-the-art paint shop. Using the latest technology, Wicksteed is now able to offer its customers even greater choice of colour schemes and quality of finish on all its outdoor play and fitness equipment.

The company has also invested in a state-of-the-art 3D printer and added to its diverse team, having welcomed five new skilled personnel.