Bath and North East Somerset Council is one of the few local authorities of its size to have a Play Team. This team work to support community members, schools, volunteers, parents and voluntary groups to offer children and young people high quality and exciting spaces to play throughout the area. The Play Team work closely with the Council’s Parks and Green Spaces Team (add link) and advocate children and young people’s rights to enjoy these public spaces.
Play Pathfinder – involving children and young people in design of community play space.
In 2008 Bath and North East Somerset Council was awarded £2.5 million in 2008 from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to develop and renew 32 play spaces in the area. This injection of funding enabled us to deliver safe and stimulating play spaces to thousands of children living in the area which are near to their homes and have a range of natural and exciting play features. These included climbing towers, sand, boulders, landscaping, swings, zip wires and bike tracks. The project objectives have:
- given 8–13 year olds the chance to play outside safely in their own communities
- delivered a new adventure play park and skate park in Midsomer Norton
- involved children and young people in helping design these outdoor spaces
As part of our work to promote safe and enjoyable play for school age children that is close to their home, Bath and North East Somerset Council have been instrumental in developing Community Play Rangers. These experienced and qualified playworkers run regular free play sessions in parks across the area. Childrens give their ideas for activities and the Community Play Rangers help to facilitate this.
“If the community play rangers didn’t work here my son would never enjoy playing outside because he has been bullied in the past. When they are here I know that he is safe and happy and he has made some friends who live nearby. He also helped with ideas for the new play structure they built there” (mother of 13 year old boy with mild autism – Keynsham).
The Council’s Play Team manage contracts with Bath Area Play Project (see web link) and Wansdyke Play Association (see web link) to deliver Community Play Services whereby people who are keen to see more positive play in their local park are supported to develop play activities and events.
The Council’s Play Team manage contracts to a range of voluntary sector play providers who deliver holiday playschemes and activities specifically catering for disabled children from 4-19 years old.
We try as far as possible to make parks and place spaces accessible. Sometimes this requires a member of staff to help accompany a child or young person who needs support to the park. This is something that may be possible through the Family Play Inclusion Worker Role. Contact Alice McColl for more information (alice_mccoll@bathnes.gov.uk)
These are all known as ‘Option 1 standard’ tracks unless otherwise stated and are ideal for informal use and for developing bike skills. They contain a varied layout of jumps and berms typically with jumps no higher than 1 metre and contained within an area of approximately 30 x 14 metres.
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Daglands Park, Camerton
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Kelston Road Park (Keynsham)
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Keynsham Road BMX track, (Close to BS31 2BN)
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Paulton Miners Welfare Recreation Ground
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Peasedown Miner Welfare Recreation Ground
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Pennyquick Park, Twerton, Bath
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Pensford Play Area
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Radstock, Tyning (Woodborough Road)
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Southfields (Radstock)
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Springfield Park, Foxhill, Bath
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Westhill Recreation Ground, Westfield (Radstock)
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Brickfields Park (Bath) - Informal bike play track with jumps
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Tunley Recreation Ground - A series of low informal landscaped mounds
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The Tumps, Odd Down, Bath, BA2 2AX - Next to the playing fields at Chelwood Drive, just off of Bloomfield Drive. Track is built to Regional Standard Specification. Click link to bath bmx under website links
For further information on bike play tracks please contact Chris Revill at the Council’s Play Team on 01225 396433. (chris_revill@bathnes.gov.uk)
We are always grateful for feedback about our parks and green spaces. Please contact Jeremy Dymond jeremy_dymond@bathnes.gov.uk if you have any comments about a Council park or play space.
To be re-directed to the Parks and Open Spaces section of the website, please click on this link. Parks and Open Spaces link. Here you can find a list of all the parks and open spaces within Bath & North East Somerset.