Article published on 12 December 2022

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Well, on this occasion it was a play area in Strelley, a suburb of Nottingham! Much to the delight of the children who attended the Christmas themed play area opening, Santa decided to make an early stop on his rounds!

Upon his arrival, Santa tethered his reindeer up to prevent them from flying off and taking the famous red sleigh with them and headed over to the new children’s play area for Christmas at Moor Road designed and installed by Proludic.

He then set down his sack full of presents while the children formed an orderly queue, before speaking to each one individually and listening to what they wanted for Christmas. He made a note in his ‘workshop diary’ for each one about what his elves should prepare for Christmas day and gave them an early present for being good. As you can probably imagine, this was a lot of fun! Once each child had spent time with Santa, the official opening ceremony of this play area took place.

The Strelley Playground Play Area Development Opened in Time for Christmas

Before refurbishing this inner-city play area site, the client had earmarked Moor Road Play Area for investment. Nottingham City Council wanted the new space to accommodate both Toddlers and Juniors but also used inclusive play design for all to enjoy.

The new play equipment had to be robust, durable and manufactured from steel and High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) components. The nets on the equipment also had to have a steel core. These play equipment design choices were introduced to better future-proof the site from anti-social behaviour.

They also wanted the site to reflect a theme to tie the different zones together. Proludic were chosen as part of a competitive tender process as the council felt they had best met the brief and had the most suitable products for this inclusive and safe playground.

The finished play area now offers 80 users the opportunity to access 9 pieces of play equipment, offering 59 play values.

This fun space is all set against a volcanic island theming. The two zones, for toddlers and juniors, contrast the roadway area at the end of the park ideal for child scooter riders and toy vehicle users. 

The site used a focal Multiplay unit adapted from Proludic’s Kanopé range. This included a speed slide on the 1.77m high platform side and an arched climbing net at the other end. Also in the junior area, the Proludic team installed a train named the ‘Moor Road Jungle Train’ (J2617) and a carriage (J2619), accommodating up to 8 users.

Also located strategically around the play area, the team fixed graphics onto the floor. Thes markings offer games like snakes and ladders, leaf hopscotch and lava crossing, encouraging imaginative play. A vertical jump activity from Proludic’s new Acti’Ninja range (J5907) offers a popular jumping activity and a challenging opportunity for the children to be active.

Proludic designed and installed an amazing play space for us at Moor Road, Strelley.  Working with Proludic, the local community had a real input into what the play space would look like and the equipment will be well used for many years to come. The park was installed and opened in early December 2022, so Proludic helped the City Council to promote the new facility by arranging for Santa to visit at the opening event. The opening event was well-attended and Santa gave the children Proludic goodie bags, helping the event go down well with everyone who attended.

Jo Tarrant, Nottingham City Council, Greenspace Development Officer.

Contact us to find out more about Proludic’s end-to-end service or book an appointment with your Area Manager to discuss your next project.

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