As part of its Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) programme, Hertfordshire County Council sought an organisation to design, build and manage a specialist, selffinancing Adventure Playground accessible to all disabled children and young people including those in the AHDC groups A and B, aged 0 -19 years.

Capital funding of £500,000 was made available by the Council and the provision needed to have a selffinancing revenue budget.

Following the rigorous evaluation process the national charity KIDS was awarded the contract and chose Russell Play as their sole partner for the design and installation of all outdoor play provision and services. KIDS is the national charity working with disabled children, young people and their families across England.

The completed project includes a Free Play Zone – an open space area designed to blend with the natural surroundings of the existing forest. Using long, fast growing reeds, grasses and bushes with creative mounding, this area will be the most overgrown within the design giving a complete sense of open free play. The overall layout has been planned as separate play areas yet designed to merge in to one another seamlessly.

Coming through from the Free Play area of the proposal you enter the Sensory Play Gardens. This section is more cultivated and tailored towards a relaxed environment which introduces multiple sensations such as sound, vision, touch and smell.

Designed as close to the tree line as possible and where possible encroaching within the woods itself, the Adventure Play Area completes the concept. To help blend in with the existing elements we have used Robinia Timber play points within sand and naturally rugged grass areas.