On-going maintenance of local play provision
is essential.
Community maintenance means people who use or live near their
local play area help keep it tidy, safe and accessible. This also
means the community takes responsibility for reporting, to the
provider, any repairs that need to be made.
Specialist inspections and maintenance is essential for health
and safety regulations, but local community members should lead
day-to-day inspections and care of the provision.
Many people have formed ‘parks watch’ or ‘friends of’ park
groups. These are often supported and encouraged by local
authorities, which will offer advice and guidance.
Not everyone needs to be able to fix things to help with
community maintenance. Just a simple checklist of what to look out
for – and who to call if something is wrong – is the best starting
point. However, if you are a parish or town council, or community
group, responsible for the play area, you will need to get help and
advice from relevant experts.
Those involved in undertaking community maintenance will need to
have a written maintenance schedule of what needs to be done, how
often and by whom. The simplest form of maintenance is for users to
report anything potentially dangerous to the owners of the play
area, making sure that users know who they should contact if
anything is wrong. You could have a sign up in the park or a notice
in the local shop. If you are going to become more involved you
will need a basic checklist and a rota of volunteers so you know
the play area is being checked regularly. This could include things
to look out for on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
You will be able to get advice creating a checklist from your
play or parks department, or expert organisations such as the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) or Fields in Trust,
or if you live in a rural area the County Playing Fields
Association.
As well as maintaining any equipment in your play area, you need
to care for the environment in which it is situated. Play England
has published guidance on maintaining natural play spaces,
Nature play: Maintenance guide. Children and young people
can also get involved, particularly if they are part of friends of
park groups or staffed play projects, where you can ensure they are
properly supervised. You will need to make sure everyone is aware
of the possible risks involved and have adequate insurance to cover
this activity.
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Tools and information
Nature play: Maintenance guide Play England guide aims to support those responsible for developing, delivering and maintaining natural play spaces into parks and play spaces.
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Organisations
Association of Play Industries Trade body representing the interests of manufacturers, designers and distributors of both indoor and outdoor play equipment and play area surfacing.
County Playing Fields Association Representative organisation for County Playing Fields Associations across England, helping local communities protect and improve outdoor recreation and play facilities.
Fields in Trust Formerly the National Playing Fields Association, helping communities protect and preserve playing fields by providing practical support and advice.
RoSPA Play Safety website provides information on playground management and safety for indoor and outdoor play areas.