FAQ

The Calverley Adventure Grounds executive committee consists of Rhiannon Harfoot (Project Coordinator), Kate Bourne (Fundraising Coordinator), Nathalie Bere (Research Specialist), Jennette Emery-Wallis (Landscape Architect) and Nick Pope (Chair of Friends of Calverley Grounds).

Following the formation of the Friends of Calverley Grounds in 2012, two community surveys were undertaken to establish which area people thought should be focused on for improvement and what was missing in the Grounds. The former Bowling Green (disused since 2005) was the site people wanted most improved and a children’s play area was the thing most people thought the park was missing. The two elements fitted well together and brought about the establishment of a group of play team volunteers to make these aspirations become a reality.

Award winning landscape architect and local resident, Jennette Emery-Wallis who is a leading specialist in her field, has designed the Calverley Adventure Grounds. Responsible for the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens which is renowned for changing the face of play in the UK, all Jennette’s designs take into consideration the ten principles of Play, as defined by Play England, to provide risk and challenge and high play value.

The area has not just been designed to be in keeping with its beautiful surroundings, and take inspiration from its history, but also to enhance it.  Children will play amongst apple trees, lavender and grasses to augment the play value of the space. The design avoids prescriptive play and encourages children to create their own adventure. Much thought has been give to collaborative play and creating a social space for children of all ages and abilities to play together. In addition the play space reflects the heritage of the local area and storyboards will be situated on site for children to learn more about the town in which they live.

Successful play spaces

1. are ‘bespoke’

2. are well located

3. make use of natural elements

4. provide a wide range of play experiences

5. are accessible to both disabled and non-disabled children 6. meet community needs

7. allow children of different ages to play together

8. build in opportunities to experience risk and challenge

9. are sustainable and appropriately maintained

10. allow for change and evolution

Further information can be found on the Play England website. www.playengland.org.uk

The community needs to raise £225,000 to cover the build cost of the project.

Absolutely not, it is a community space available for all.

The team will be holding a number of events to raise both funds and awareness of the campaign.

Core to our fundraising efforts will be Community Sponsorship. Through this local businesses, schools community groups and individuals will have the opportunity to sponsor a piece of equipment, a square metre of the site or give an amount of their choice.

The Jam Jar Challenge will be launched in April. This offers every child in Tunbridge Wells the opportunity to participate in fundraising for Calverley Adventure Grounds.

We hope further revenue will be generated from a number of grant applications.

The Parks Team at the Council have sought advice from the planning department. It has been confirmed that no planning permission is required for the site as it does not represent a change of use and no equipment is above 4m in height. The Council has obtained a permitted development certificate for the scheme.

The scheme has been through detailed public consultation throughout October and November 2015 and was greeted with an overwhelmingly positive response.

It is estimated that it will take 4 to 5 months to build Jennette’s design.

The Council will be responsible for the maintenance of the Calverley Adventure Grounds as Calverley Grounds is council property. The Play Area Committee has worked hard to ensure that this agreement is in place prior to the raising any funds for the project. The council has been provided with a very detailed breakdown of the maintenance required by Jennette.

The equipment being used in the play area has been chosen for it’s play value, aesthetics and quality. The equipment is expected to last for in excess of 15 years.

If we are able to raise the bulk of required funds by March 2017, we will be able to tender for the building work. This would enable the build to commence in June 2017. We envisage that the build would be completed by end of Summer 2017.

This issue has been of the upmost importance to the committee throughout the design phase of the project. We have worked with the council and the local community police officer to minimise any potential security issues. Experience elsewhere has shown that regeneration of this unkempt areas reduces the incidents of anti social behavior.  Furthermore, the play area will benefit from its location in a town centre park which receives regular patrols and the abundance of CCTV cameras situated around the park will further act as a deterrent. The play area will be checked for unwanted debris on a daily basis.

The Play Area committee are not responsible for the refurbishment of the pavilion but have been advised by the council that this is something they are looking at. This of course would be hugely beneficial to the play area and the park as a whole.

This project will not happen without the support of the local community and we want everyone to get involved so please get in touch by emailing hello@calverleyadventuregrounds.co.uk

The creation of the Calverley Adventure Grounds will redefine Calverley Grounds as a year-round destination for families, attracting increased footfall to the Grounds and in turn High Street given its central town location.

Any local regeneration is of benefit to the town and its economy but, due to its unique design, the Calverley Adventure Grounds will also be marketable as an attraction drawing more visitors and tourists to the centre of town.

In addition to the potential commercial impact of the scheme, benefits to partners and sponsors of equipment include:

• Their logo on the project website
• Their name featured on our recognition piece
• Opportunity for Corporate Responsibility days
• VIP invitations to the opening of the Calverley Adventure Grounds
• Staff engagement as employees see their company contributing to a high profile community project