Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury playground builder completes biggest-ever project

A playground designer has completed one of its largest-ever contracts as part of a £5.5 million caravan park development in Shropshire.

Published
Salop Leisure’s managing director Mark Bebb with Ray and Thomas Parry testing out on piece of equipment at Love2Stay resort’s adventure playground

Ray Parry Playground Services designed and built the new outdoor adventure playground and boot camp at the new Love2Stay resort beside Salop Leisure at Emstrey near Shrewsbury.

The Shrewsbury company, which was also behind the redevelopment of the new play area in Shrewsbury's Quarry park, sent a four-man team to spend eight weeks completing the project.

They installed 12 pieces of play equipment, including climbing frames, obstacle courses, slides and swings.

Managing director Ray Parry said: “It is one of the largest projects that we have done and I think the result is fantastic.“I am very proud of the work we have done and we worked well with Mark on the project.

“Love2Stay resort is absolutely beautiful and a reward for the vision and hard work put in by Mark and Salop Leisure.”

Mr Bebb added: “We have tried to create the most challenging environment for children and young people within the playground regulations. We want to get kids off their electronic games and feeling the grass between their toes playing outside as we did 30 years ago.

“We now have children who are playing on their Xbox and other electronic games all day and when they fail, they press the restart. Our playground allows them to be adventurous and to feel fear within a safe environment so that when they fall, they land in a foot of mud but there is consequence for failure.”

The purpose-built bootcamp training facility is run separately to the resort by Love Fitness and includes an Army-style assault court with 20 obstacles and 12 different work stations.

Giant over and under bars kick off the assault course, followed by 5.5 metre rope climbs, swings, tunnels, monkey bars and a climbing wall as customers complete an exciting adventure in this adult playground.

The company's technical director Thomas Parry worked alongside Salop's Mark Bebb on the project.

Last year, the company delivered a £400,000 project to revamp the children’s playground in The Quarry, Shrewsbury and design and install a water park, which has just been chosen in the world’s top 10 waterparks by Waterplay.

The Love2Stay resort has 124 touring caravan pitches, 22 luxury glamping safari lodges with private hot tubs and a natural swimming pool as its centrepiece.