Otterspool Adventure Centre has undergone huge £1.5m transformation

Otterspool Adventure Centre has undergone a huge £1.5m transformation and Playscheme has been delighted to work on a range of equipment to suit the area and make it stand out from the crowd. The bespoke timber play items include a cute wasp springer, semi sunken treasure chest and a twisted turret tower!

Playscheme play a part in Otterspool’s £1.5m transformation

Our brief was to create a family friendly play area – something quirky and different to a usual play park. Managing Director, Steve, and Design Manager, Ashleigh, met with the owners of Otterspool Adventure Centre to get a feel for the area. During an afternoon of dreaming up ideas and sketching out designs with the client we settled on a whimsical theme.

The overall scheme consists of fourteen bespoke elements packed with play value. This was an incredible feat for our team as we turned around the design, manufacture and installation in a matter of weeks to ensure it was completed in time for the Easter Holidays.

All of our bespoke equipment took around three weeks to handcraft at our workshop in Elvington, using our attractive Robinia hardwood. This beautiful timber is extremely resilient and durable, each piece has its own unique traits – perfect for whimsical play creations!

Outdoor fun at the play area is one of the main attractions at Otterspool Adventure Centre; located towards the front of the development it is perfect for children to run wild whilst mum and dad treat themselves to a warm drink on the café balcony. The turrets framing the balcony are themed add-ons created by Playscheme to enhance the area as a whole – tying in the Robinia Timber whimsical theme and spreading the magic across the attraction.

The play area is split across two sections, an area for younger children and a space for those a little more adventurous. This design is packed with play value – spinning, swinging and sliding, climbing, balancing, clattering and crawling. With the addition of inclusive items such as the nest swing where multiple children can lie down and swing together.

There are plenty of opportunities to get dizzy on the three spinning bowls and large roundabout turntable; better take a rest a well-deserved rest on the swinging hammock before heading over to the ice cream barn though!

The tower turrets really emphasise the attraction’s motto ‘Magical Outdoor Fun’, with their quirky cedar shingle details, wobbly windows and spiral staircase, it’s the ideal home for enchanted critters to hide. Hop, skip and jump across the red rubber mushrooms onto the clatter bridge to take in a view of the park from over the wet pour rubber stream; the tall wobbly Robinia posts framing the play area add height and imagination with their splashes of colour.

The different textured floor surfaces, colours and landscaping divide the space making it more interesting to the eye and tactile underfoot. The two artificial grass mounds have tunnels to crawl through, the bubble windows making it possible to peep through and see the area from a different dimension.

The majority of the safety surfacing is Wet pour rubber, designed to enhance the journey of play surrounding the area, which was laid in record time by our friends at Creative Play.

Given the tight turnaround for this project, it came together beautifully, and we’re delighted with the results. Otterspool Adventure Centre have had an amazing season and their Family Entertainment Centre is having a real impact on the North West.

At Playscheme we love working on these bespoke projects, all the way from consultation to creation, manufacture to installation.