The final 'general arrangement drawing' has now been produced:
Further visuals of the play space features will be posted as the finer details are ironed out...
Friday 4 December 2009
Latest Progress
It's been a busy 2 months behind the scenes as the project team work towards installing the new play space. We have submitted a planning application to the Peak District National Park Authority, and have just put the project out to tender. The tenders will be returned on the 17th December as we seek to appoint a suitable contractor.
The final 'general arrangement drawing' has now been produced:
Further visuals of the play space features will be posted as the finer details are ironed out...
The final 'general arrangement drawing' has now been produced:
Further visuals of the play space features will be posted as the finer details are ironed out...
Tuesday 15 September 2009
Design Progression *Update*
The draft designs have now been fully reviewed in relation to the consultation feedback from Lyme Park visitors, key local partners and National Trust staff. The response to the draft designs has been overwhelmigly positive, and minimal changes have been required.
Using a combination of the feedback from consultation, and information gathered from site surveys and assessments, a number of minor changes will be made to the design before it is submitted to the planning authority:
- The complexity of the landforms in Crow Wood are such that the inclusion of a zip-wire is not practical; a significant amount of engineering work would be required which would be disproportionate to the amount of play value achieved.
- The giant climbing logs will be moved to the low side of the site, again to reduce the amount of engineering works needed to install the logs (this part of the site is much less steep).
- Using feedback from our consultation with disabled parents and children, we have included more shelter within the play area, and included more hand-rail features on the high side to enable better access to the more challenging play features.
- A new access path will be created from the Timber Yard to the bridge to give a more direct route to the play area from the shop/cafe/toilets.
- The bridge will be redeveloped, giving more opportunity for children to interact with the water on the spillway as they walk up to Crow Wood.
As soon as the changes have been fully drawn up, we will post them on the blog so watch this space!
Using a combination of the feedback from consultation, and information gathered from site surveys and assessments, a number of minor changes will be made to the design before it is submitted to the planning authority:
- The complexity of the landforms in Crow Wood are such that the inclusion of a zip-wire is not practical; a significant amount of engineering work would be required which would be disproportionate to the amount of play value achieved.
- The giant climbing logs will be moved to the low side of the site, again to reduce the amount of engineering works needed to install the logs (this part of the site is much less steep).
- Using feedback from our consultation with disabled parents and children, we have included more shelter within the play area, and included more hand-rail features on the high side to enable better access to the more challenging play features.
- A new access path will be created from the Timber Yard to the bridge to give a more direct route to the play area from the shop/cafe/toilets.
- The bridge will be redeveloped, giving more opportunity for children to interact with the water on the spillway as they walk up to Crow Wood.
As soon as the changes have been fully drawn up, we will post them on the blog so watch this space!
Friday 7 August 2009
A Great day out in Crow Wood!
Yesterday, Groundwork staff had a fantastic day at Lyme Park consulting with students of Dovestones College in Tameside. The four students, Michaela, Sarah, Leanne and Gareth, took part in a wildlife trail through the woodland, which included following clues to find the hidden animals and completing art activities such as tree-rubbings and sketches.
It was really useful to see the students enjoying the natural environment. Sarah was particularly keen on drawing trees and leaves; Leanne really enjoyed taking rubbings from a large oak tree; Gareth loved throwing pebbles into the stream and Michaela enjoyed collecting clovers with their heart-shaped leaves.
Seeing these young people interacting in the woodland environment gaves us plenty of ideas for adding little details to the Playscape design to encourage users to take the time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of a woodland location.
The students were really enthusiastic about the plans for the Crow Wood Playscape - favourite features included the climbing logs, which they thought were scary, the slide and treehouse. They also liked the idea of having picnics in the seating areas.
It was really useful to see the students enjoying the natural environment. Sarah was particularly keen on drawing trees and leaves; Leanne really enjoyed taking rubbings from a large oak tree; Gareth loved throwing pebbles into the stream and Michaela enjoyed collecting clovers with their heart-shaped leaves.
Seeing these young people interacting in the woodland environment gaves us plenty of ideas for adding little details to the Playscape design to encourage users to take the time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of a woodland location.
The students were really enthusiastic about the plans for the Crow Wood Playscape - favourite features included the climbing logs, which they thought were scary, the slide and treehouse. They also liked the idea of having picnics in the seating areas.
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Latest Progress!
On 29th July Groundwork staff were out and about at Lyme Park asking visitors what they thought of the new designs. The results so far are really positive - the playscape approach is one that seems to be popular with parents and children alike!
Post-design consultation will continue on 6th August - we will be working with students of Dovestones College, to focus on the playscape's accessibility. We want to ensure that the design caters for children and adults of all abilities, so will be holding a series of activities with the young adults and asking them if they like the designs and think that they are cater well for their needs.
We have also invited local families with disabled children to take part in these activities.
If you are interested in joining us on the 6th or at future events, then please contact Katherine Stanier on 01606 723172
Post-design consultation will continue on 6th August - we will be working with students of Dovestones College, to focus on the playscape's accessibility. We want to ensure that the design caters for children and adults of all abilities, so will be holding a series of activities with the young adults and asking them if they like the designs and think that they are cater well for their needs.
We have also invited local families with disabled children to take part in these activities.
If you are interested in joining us on the 6th or at future events, then please contact Katherine Stanier on 01606 723172
Monday 27 July 2009
Online Survey Live - What do you think of the Designs?
The online survey about the new designs is now live! Please click here to take the survey, and tell us your thoughts on the initial plans for the Crow Wood Playscape.
We're keen to know what you think so that we can make any amendments before the scheme is taken forward.
We're keen to know what you think so that we can make any amendments before the scheme is taken forward.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Draft Designs Completed!
The first design plans for the playscape have been put together by designers Adam White and Andree Davies and are looking excellent! Please click on the thumbnail for a closer look!
We will also be posting an online survey so you can let us know what you think of them before anything is finalised!
Thursday 25 June 2009
Videos Uploaded from Father's day.....
Videos of the Father's day activities are now online for viewing!
The first video shows a young girl taking part in our mystery box game, guessing what natural materials were hiding inside the boxes!
The next video shows 2 of our triumphant den builders taking time out inside their new den:
The final video shows the willow weaving workshop. Participants were able to make exciting willow creations with expert tuition from Redstone Willows
The residents from Greenfields in Winsford who visited the park for the day took their own photographs. We asked them to capture what they enjoyed most about playing in the natural environment at Lyme Park. The results were great!
The first video shows a young girl taking part in our mystery box game, guessing what natural materials were hiding inside the boxes!
The next video shows 2 of our triumphant den builders taking time out inside their new den:
The final video shows the willow weaving workshop. Participants were able to make exciting willow creations with expert tuition from Redstone Willows
The residents from Greenfields in Winsford who visited the park for the day took their own photographs. We asked them to capture what they enjoyed most about playing in the natural environment at Lyme Park. The results were great!
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Den Building on Father's Day - Photos added....
The consultation events held on 21st June at Lyme Park were another resounding success! We managed to talk to dozens of visitors about the proposed new play area. Eveyone we spoke to is very positive about the project, and we have gathered some interesting ideas to include in the new designs!
Once again the den building was a popular activity - children (and parents!) loved getting involved. It was great to see all of the children making new friends and building a series of dens together. Some of the dens had doors, some were only big enough for one person, and others were more sculptural than functional!
We also uncovered some wildlife - the children were fascinated with Mr Toad after they found he had moved into their new den!
Many families also took part in a treasure hunt around the site for the proposed new play area:
Once again the den building was a popular activity - children (and parents!) loved getting involved. It was great to see all of the children making new friends and building a series of dens together. Some of the dens had doors, some were only big enough for one person, and others were more sculptural than functional!
We also uncovered some wildlife - the children were fascinated with Mr Toad after they found he had moved into their new den!
Many families also took part in a treasure hunt around the site for the proposed new play area:
Friday 12 June 2009
Father's Day Events Taking Shape!
Groundwork staff will be at Lyme Park on Father's Day delivering activities for the next consultation event. We will be providing a day of fun activities for all families, so please come along and join in the free workshops!
Sunday 21st June
10am - 4pm
Lyme Park Timber Yard Area
Activities will include den building workshops, treasure hunts in Crow Wood and sensory games.
Professional willow weaver Christine Redstone will also be at the event, running a series of hour long weaving workshops. Children and adults of all abilities will be able to work with Christine to produce sculptural fish, dragonflies, baskets, bulrushes and leaves.
Participants will also get a sneak peak at design ideas for the new playscape!
Sunday 21st June
10am - 4pm
Lyme Park Timber Yard Area
Activities will include den building workshops, treasure hunts in Crow Wood and sensory games.
Professional willow weaver Christine Redstone will also be at the event, running a series of hour long weaving workshops. Children and adults of all abilities will be able to work with Christine to produce sculptural fish, dragonflies, baskets, bulrushes and leaves.
Participants will also get a sneak peak at design ideas for the new playscape!
Monday 1 June 2009
Den Making Workshop Builds Design Ideas!
On Friday 29th May, Groundwork Cheshire staff spent the day at Lyme Park carrying out consultation with visitors about the proposed new playscape. As part of the consultation, parents filled out questionnaires about play with their children, who then took part in den building workshops.
Children of all ages got involved in building dens, using fallen wood from the estate to make a series of exciting structures. The children then used balls of coloured wool to weave in decoration. Some children enjoyed this so much that they created large weavings between logs, trees and tall grass!
The photographs, comments and questionnaires will be used to inform design work currently taking place. The general project design concept seems to be very popular; one participant said that building dens and natural play "is just more fun isn't it?".
Children of all ages got involved in building dens, using fallen wood from the estate to make a series of exciting structures. The children then used balls of coloured wool to weave in decoration. Some children enjoyed this so much that they created large weavings between logs, trees and tall grass!
The photographs, comments and questionnaires will be used to inform design work currently taking place. The general project design concept seems to be very popular; one participant said that building dens and natural play "is just more fun isn't it?".
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Crow Wood Photos - Site as it Stands
For those of you unsure exactly where Crow Wood is, we have uploaded a few photographs of the woodland.
Brookside School Give us their Ideas
Pupils at Brookside Primary school have taken part in consultation sessions with Groundwork staff to give us their ideas about the proposed new playscape.
The school takes part in the National Trust Guardianship scheme, allowing the pupils access to Lyme Park many times throughout the year. Lyme Park can be viewed from the grounds of the school, meaning that nearly all of the children at the school have been to Lyme Park and live close by.
As such, the children were very knowledgeable about Lyme Park, and Crow Wood in particular. Pupils from Years 2 -6 filled in a short questionnaire by ticking the activities that they like to do or would like to do when they play.
In total, 96 children were asked what they enjoy about Lyme Park, with answers ranging from ‘…lots of animals’ to ‘…playing in the woods’.
Some children said that they enjoyed playing on the fallen tree within Crow Wood because this provided ‘…danger…’, ‘…height…’, ‘…somewhere to climb…’. Other comments suggested that the fallen tree provided a good place to play. Some children said that they enjoyed playing ‘...pirates…’, and also used the fallen tree as a castle or a boat for other role-play games.
All of this information gives us a great steer on what the new playscape designs should include to make the project successful and popular with children.
Furthermore, the children took part in design workshops, drawing their ideal play spaces, and their ideas for the new play area in Crow Wood, which can be seen below:
The school takes part in the National Trust Guardianship scheme, allowing the pupils access to Lyme Park many times throughout the year. Lyme Park can be viewed from the grounds of the school, meaning that nearly all of the children at the school have been to Lyme Park and live close by.
As such, the children were very knowledgeable about Lyme Park, and Crow Wood in particular. Pupils from Years 2 -6 filled in a short questionnaire by ticking the activities that they like to do or would like to do when they play.
In total, 96 children were asked what they enjoy about Lyme Park, with answers ranging from ‘…lots of animals’ to ‘…playing in the woods’.
Some children said that they enjoyed playing on the fallen tree within Crow Wood because this provided ‘…danger…’, ‘…height…’, ‘…somewhere to climb…’. Other comments suggested that the fallen tree provided a good place to play. Some children said that they enjoyed playing ‘...pirates…’, and also used the fallen tree as a castle or a boat for other role-play games.
All of this information gives us a great steer on what the new playscape designs should include to make the project successful and popular with children.
Furthermore, the children took part in design workshops, drawing their ideal play spaces, and their ideas for the new play area in Crow Wood, which can be seen below:
Friday 22 May 2009
Consultation Survey Live!
An online survey is now available for the Crow Wood Playscape. The survey is intended to help us gather people's ideas on play in Lyme Park so that we can make sure the new play space designs reflect visitor's needs and ideas.
To take the survey please click here
To take the survey please click here
New Consultation Dates!
Groundwork Cheshire will be at Lyme Park running consultation events throughout the half-term holiday:
Event 1: Wednesday 27th May 2009
10am - 12.30pm
Staff will be on hand to talk to visitors about the project, and questionnaires will be taken to gether people's views on the new Playscape proposals.
There will also be treasure hunts for families to take part in!
Event 2: Friday 29th May 2009
11am - 3pm
Your chance to get involved and play with nature! Staff will be running den building sessions and willow-weaving workshops for families interested in the Playscape proposals.
Please come and find us at Crow Wood:
Event 1: Wednesday 27th May 2009
10am - 12.30pm
Staff will be on hand to talk to visitors about the project, and questionnaires will be taken to gether people's views on the new Playscape proposals.
There will also be treasure hunts for families to take part in!
Event 2: Friday 29th May 2009
11am - 3pm
Your chance to get involved and play with nature! Staff will be running den building sessions and willow-weaving workshops for families interested in the Playscape proposals.
Please come and find us at Crow Wood:
Welcome to the Crow Wood Playscape Blog!
Over the course of the project, we will be filling this site with news of progress. Throughout May 2009 Groundwork will be holding consultation sessions and events to find out what Lyme Park visitors want to see included in the Playscape desgins. Please check back for information about these consultations - how to get involved and when we will be at Lyme Park for you to come and talk to us about the project!
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