A permanent fence was built around the perimeter of the playground equipment over Easter time, in a bid to protect the children using it from cyclists and dogs. The equipment was installed over 10 years ago, but the St Sampson’s douzaine said it had received regular complaints about the risks of dogs and cyclists in the play area.
With a history in childcare, douzenier Kim Abbotts, whose two-year-old granddaughter was enjoying the new-found safety of the enclosed playground, has been a long-standing advocate for child safety.
She said fencing off the area had been top on her wish list when she first joined the douzaine about five years ago.
The installation was completed in about 10 days in April, and she said the playground has been busier ever since.
‘We’ve had really positive feedback,’ she said.
‘The fence has made a huge difference. My daughter, who owns and runs a pre-school, said that if she had more than one child here, they’d be off in different directions and could easily be out into the road before you knew it – it wasn’t safe.
‘I wanted to improve that and encourage more people to use the area. We also wanted to keep dogs and cyclists out to prevent any accidents because we used to have complaints about bikes riding through, almost knocking children over, and a play area isn’t meant for dogs, either.’
Childminders Zelia Hutchins and Beccy Davey, whose group of some six toddlers were roaming the swings and slides, said they could now manage their groups more effectively.
‘It just makes it easier to keep an eye on them all,’ said Miss Davey.
‘We wouldn’t really use it before. Between the two of us, we have quite a few little ones who like to wander. Now the fence is here, it’s so much safer and we don’t have the worry of dogs and cyclists coming in.
‘It allows the children to be a bit adventurous, but you know they’re safe.’
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